Freehold land has no expiry date. Leasehold land has a term of up to 99 years, printed on the title. In Johor, land is granted by the state government under the National Land Code, and the Code allows only these two forms.
| Freehold | Leasehold | |
|---|---|---|
| Term | No expiry date | Up to 99 years, as stated on the title |
| When the term ends | Not applicable | Land reverts to the state |
| Can the term be extended? | Not needed | The owner can apply to the state |
| Annual quit rent | Yes | Yes |
| Can the government acquire it? | Yes, at market value | Yes, at market value |
| Johor Bahru projects on this site | 59 | 6 |
Project counts as at 24 September 2026. Of the 76 projects, 7 more are still being verified and 4 have no tenure recorded yet.
HDB flats are sold on 99-year leases, and HDB has said publicly that the land reverts to the State at the end of the lease. Malaysian leasehold works on the same principle. Malaysian law also lets the owner apply to the state government to extend the term.
Section 76 of the National Land Code allows a state to alienate land either for a term not exceeding 99 years or in perpetuity. The Malay text of the Code uses selama-lamanya for perpetuity. Section 5 defines "alienate" as disposing of State land in perpetuity or for a term of years, in return for the payment of rent.
Yes. Because land is alienated in return for rent, every title pays quit rent (cukai tanah) each year, freehold and leasehold alike. Freehold means the title has no end date. It does not mean the land has no annual charges.
Under section 46(1)(a), land reverts to the State Authority when the term on its title expires.
Before that, you can apply to extend. Section 90A of the Code provides for an application to the state to extend the term of a holding; the Federal Territory land office's form for it is titled Permohonan Lanjut Tempoh Pegangan (Seksyen 90A). Whether it is approved, and at what cost, is for the state government to decide.
Only under the Land Acquisition Act 1960, and only with compensation. Section 3 sets out the purposes for which a state may acquire land, including public purposes. Section 14 and the First Schedule require compensation to be assessed at market value. The same rules apply to both tenures.
Every project page shows its tenure and where that information came from. Where a developer hasn't published a leasehold expiry date, we get a copy of the title before you sign and read the start and end dates together.
See every Johor Bahru project →
Which tenure suits you depends on how long you plan to hold and how you plan to finance. Send me the project you're looking at. I'll check its title against the documents and work the numbers through with you.
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