With the price of property skyrocketing and rising cost of living in Malaysia, it is no wonder that many individuals and families are facing difficulties in buying their own house. Therefore, the government has come up with various scheme over the past few years to help increase homeownership and affordability among the rakyat.

What is it?
PR1MA, short for skim Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (1Malaysia People’s Housing scheme), is a programme to build more affordable housing for Malaysian citizens. It was launched by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in July 2011, and established under the PR1MA Act 2012. It is managed by the government-owned Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia Berhad (PR1MA Corporation Malaysia) under the Kementerian Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan (Ministry of Housing and Local Government).

Why was it introduced?
PR1MA aims to provide high quality yet affordable housing for middle-income households. The housing developments under the PR1MA programme are located in major cities and towns across Malaysia, and provide greater ownership as well as improving quality of life among the people.

Where can you find PR1MA housing?
Currently there are approximately 86 PR1MA development projects all around Malaysia (based on the number of projects listed in their website), located in key urban areas of different states. Some are already closed, but many others will soon be open to applicants, so it’s best to check back every so often to see if any developments in your desired area are available. Some notable locations include Ampang Jaya (KL), Seremban, Melaka, Johor, Pulau Pinang, Ipoh, Sungai Petani, Pasir Puteh, Kuala Terengganu, Sandakan, and Kuching, among others.

You can check PR1MA projects and their status at the PR1MA website (Screenshot as at 18 April 2017)

How much do PR1MA homes cost?
Houses built under the PR1MA programme vary in size and type to suit different household needs. As such, they are priced between RM100,000 to RM400,000 in order to fit the budget of low- and middle-income citizens.

What are the criteria to be eligible for the PR1MA scheme?
Applicants must fulfill 4 basic requirements in order to be eligible for PR1MA:

Must be a Malaysian citizen
21 years of age and above
Individual or household income between RM2,500 – RM15,000
Own no more than 1 property, if any

(Screenshot from PR1MA website)

How can I apply for PR1MA housing?
If you fulfill the basic requirements to be eligible for the programme, just head on over to the PR1MA website. Simply register for an account, upload the required documents, apply for developments that you are interested in, and wait for the balloting results to see if your application is successful. If you have been chosen, congratulations are in order, but even if you aren’t, don’t give up and try again for other PR1MA developments or other government housing schemes!