How much your lawyer charges to buy a property — the regulated conveyancing scale for the SPA and the loan, plus disbursements, with a worked example.
General guidance for 2026 — not legal advice. Title, fee and estate matters depend on your circumstances and state; consult a lawyer. Got a property to renovate? Ask us →
Legal fees for buying property are regulated — lawyers charge on a fixed scale under the Solicitors’ Remuneration Order (SRO), so the cost is largely predictable. You pay them separately for the sale documents (SPA and transfer) and the loan documents. Unlike renovation costs or furnishings, legal fees are a non-negotiable transactional cost that must be settled before or at the time of transfer. Understanding the scale — and knowing there are two sets of fees for most transactions — prevents unpleasant surprises when your lawyer’s bill arrives. This guide sets out the SRO scale, gives worked examples at different price points, and explains what disbursements cover, so you can plan your total cash requirement accurately from the start of your property search.
| Property / loan value band | Scale fee | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First RM500,000 | 1.0% (minimum RM500) | Applied to both SPA and loan |
| Next RM500,000 (500k–1m) | 0.8% | — |
| Next RM2,000,000 (1m–3m) | 0.7% | — |
| Next RM2,000,000 (3m–5m) | 0.6% | — |
| Above RM5,000,000 | 0.5% (negotiable) | Negotiable by agreement |
Per the Solicitors’ Remuneration Order — confirm the current scale and any amendments with your lawyer. GST/SST applies on top.
The scale is applied twice: once on the property value for the SPA / transfer →, and again on the loan amount for the loan agreement. Cash buyers pay only the first set. If you borrow 90% of a RM600,000 property, you pay SPA fees on RM600,000 and loan fees on RM540,000 — both at the same scale. This is a significant total cost that many buyers underestimate.
| Item | Calculation | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| SPA — first RM500k | 1.0% × 500,000 | RM5,000 |
| SPA — next RM100k | 0.8% × 100,000 | RM800 |
| SPA legal fee | — | RM5,800 |
| Loan — first RM500k | 1.0% × 500,000 | RM5,000 |
| Loan — next RM40k | 0.8% × 40,000 | RM320 |
| Loan legal fee | — | RM5,320 |
| SST (8%) on fees | 8% × RM11,120 | ~RM890 |
| Total legal fees (approx) | — | ~RM12,010 |
| Property price | SPA legal fee | Loan fee (90%) | Total fees (excl. SST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| RM300,000 | RM3,000 | RM2,700 | ~RM5,700 |
| RM500,000 | RM5,000 | RM4,500 | ~RM9,500 |
| RM600,000 | RM5,800 | RM5,320 | ~RM11,120 |
| RM800,000 | RM7,400 | RM6,660 | ~RM14,060 |
| RM1,000,000 | RM9,000 | RM8,100 | ~RM17,100 |
Approximate only — based on SRO scale, 90% loan margin. SST, disbursements and complex-transaction supplements not included. Confirm with your lawyer.
On top of the scale fee you pay disbursements — out-of-pocket costs your lawyer incurs on your behalf: land searches, bankruptcy and winding-up searches, registration fees at the land office, LHDN stamp assessments, courier charges, and printing. These typically add RM500–RM2,000 depending on transaction complexity. Ask your lawyer for an itemised estimate of disbursements upfront so there are no surprises.
Combine legal fees (both sets) with stamp duty → (MOT 1–4% tiered + loan 0.5%) and valuation, and upfront costs beyond the price come to roughly 3–5%. See the full picture in our buying property guide →. For a RM600,000 property, total upfront costs beyond the price can easily reach RM30,000–RM38,000 when stamp duty, legal fees and valuation are all included. These costs must be paid in cash — they cannot be rolled into the home loan — so they should be part of your total cash requirement from the outset. Some buyers plan for the down payment but forget these ancillary costs and find themselves short at the critical completion stage. A simple way to estimate: assume 4% of the property price as a safe provisional allowance for all ancillary costs, then get exact quotes from your lawyer and compare with LHDN stamp duty calculations.
The government periodically grants legal-fee or stamp-duty remissions for first-time buyers up to a price cap. These change with each Budget, so check current incentives with your lawyer. Developers of new projects sometimes absorb legal fees or stamp duty as promotional incentives to buyers — read the promotion terms carefully to understand whether it applies to SPA fees only, loan fees only, or both, and whether there are conditions such as using a nominated lawyer or bank.
For a new project SPA (developer-to-buyer), the developer’s nominated lawyer typically handles the SPA, and developers sometimes offer to absorb or subsidise the SPA legal fee. The buyer still usually pays the loan legal fee independently. For a subsale, the buyer engages their own lawyer for both the SPA/transfer and the loan. Using the same firm for both is common and can sometimes result in a small combined discount; confirm this with your lawyer.
This guide cites Malaysian legislation and official bodies. Always confirm current rates and rules with the official source:
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