Hello renters or soon-to-be renters! If you’re looking to rent and are checking out your options, I have some good news for you. So continue scrolling down to read more!

Claimed to be the new benchmark in the development of affordable housing, Skim Smart Sewa is a program introduced by the Selangor state government to help low and middle income earners who are looking for a place to rent today but want to buy a home of their own in the future.

So how does this scheme work? And is it truly as different yet at par from the other housing schemes like the Home Ownership Campaign or the Rumah Selangorku scheme that the government has come up with? To answer those questions, YES, it is!

So, Skim Smart Sewa was first established in 2016 by the government as it’s here to help various individuals in Selangor to rent before they can afford to buy a place of their own. Why is this housing scheme so great? Because, once the tenant decides to no longer stay in the unit as they can now afford a home of their own, 30% of the total rent paid by the tenant will be RETURNED to them! 

Now that I’ve got your attention, let’s check out what the requirements are.

According to my sources, Smart Skim Sewa has a minimum rental period of 2 years and a maximum of 5. Depending on the sizes of the units, the rental rates are in between RM450 - RM700 per month! And here comes the part that I love the most. From your monthly rental, 30% will be deducted from it and kept aside every month. So that means, if your rental each month is RM500, you will get back RM150 which is 30% of your monthly rent. It will be tucked away and kept till the end of your tenancy where they will give you the entire lump sum.

Now, this scheme already sounds great. But, it gets even better as there is an extra perk! Skim Smart Sewa has an additional initiative where if you as a Skim Smart Sewa renter, wants to buy a Rumah Selangorku home, they will prioritize your RSKU application and use the 30% of your rental returns for the down-payment of your Rumah Selangorku home! You will not be able to purchase the unit you’re currently living in as that homes in this scheme are allocated for rent only. But if you see a Rumah Selangorku project that you absolutely love and what to make it your own, you can and this side perk is going to help you in a long way as it’s something that they’ve come up with to help you in the planning of your new home! How great is that?! 

Now that I’ve got you all excited, let’s carry on to the next step on what makes you eligible for this housing scheme.

Eligibilities: 

• The applicant including spouse must be a Malaysian Citizen
• Must be of age 18 and above AND married (this is a big one as your married status is the first thing they’ll screen on your application!)
• Income:
  • A maximum household income of RM5,000 and below per month for Type A
  • A maximum household income of RM15,000 and below per month for Type B, C, and D. However, priority will be given to households whose household income is less than RM10,000 per month.
• The applicant or spouse must be living or working in Selangor
• Priority will be given to applicants who do not own a residence in Selangor. If the applicant does own a residence in Selangor, it must be located more than 50 km from the rental home that was applied for, and the rental home must be within 25 km of the applicant’s workplace
• The applicant must be a voter in Selangor

So now that you know the eligibility and the perks of Skim Smart Sewa, you must be wondering what you’ll need to pay for. Well, besides the usual rental deposit that you’ll need to fork out, there actually is none because it is a housing scheme set by the Selangor government to help and assist the low and middle income families! So, for the rental deposit, it is subjected to the current rental rate and the information is as below:

2 months rent + Current rent of 1 month + Utility Charges

So if you’re super keen on Skim Smart Sewa, head on over to https://phssb.com/skim-smart-sewa/ to check out the various homes under this housing scheme and register your interest!