How Much Are Legal Fees When Buying Property?
A conveyancing lawyer is not optional in Malaysia — and they are paid on a fixed scale. Here is the 2026 breakdown, why you may be billed twice, and a worked example so there are no surprises at completion.
In Malaysia the law firm handles your transfer and your loan documentation, and their fees are not negotiable guesswork — they sit on a government scale. Once you know that scale you can work out your bill to the ringgit. Here is how I explain it to buyers.
The legal fee scale (SRO 2023)
The same scale applies to the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) and, if you borrow, to the loan agreement. Each band of the value is charged at its own rate:
| Portion of value | Rate |
|---|---|
| First RM500,000 | 1.25% |
| Next RM500,000 (RM500k – RM1m) | 1.0% |
| Next RM2,000,000 (RM1m – RM3m) | 0.8% |
| Next RM2,000,000 (RM3m – RM5m) | 0.7% |
| Above RM5,000,000 | 0.5% |
A minimum fee applies to small values, so very low-priced transactions will not fall below it.
Why you pay it twice — and a worked example
The scale is applied once to the purchase (the SPA) and again to the loan agreement if you finance. For a RM700,000 home with a RM630,000 loan:
- SPA legal fee: 1.25% × RM500,000 = RM6,250, plus 1.0% × RM200,000 = RM2,000 → RM8,250
- Loan legal fee: 1.25% × RM500,000 = RM6,250, plus 1.0% × RM130,000 = RM1,300 → RM7,550
- Professional fees before extras → RM15,800
What sits on top of the professional fee
The scale fee is not the whole invoice. Expect these added on:
- Disbursements — land search, registration, bankruptcy search, title fees, printing and travelling.
- SST on the professional fees, where applicable.
- Stamp duties — the transfer (MOT) duty and the 0.5% loan duty, which are government charges collected through your lawyer, not part of the legal fee.
Want your full legal-and-stamp cost in one number?
Tell me the price and your loan amount and I will put the legal fees, disbursements and stamp duties into one clear figure for you. I am Louis Koh, over a decade in Johor Bahru property.
Frequently asked questions
How much are legal fees for buying property in Malaysia?
They follow the SRO 2023 scale — 1.25% on the first RM500,000, 1.0% on the next RM500,000, then 0.8%, 0.7% and 0.5% on higher bands — applied to the SPA and separately to the loan agreement.
Do I pay legal fees twice?
If you take a loan, yes — the scale applies once to the sale agreement and again to the loan agreement, plus disbursements, SST and the stamp duties.
Are stamp duty and legal fees the same thing?
No. Legal fees are the lawyer’s charge on the SRO scale; stamp duty is a separate government tax collected through the lawyer at completion.
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