Before you pay anyone to “handle the approval”: who may draw, sign and submit your plans.
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Building plans for an extension or structural change are prepared and submitted to the council by a registered architect, or by a registered building draughtsman for smaller works where the council accepts one, with a professional engineer (PE) designing and endorsing anything structural. A renovation contractor builds to the approved drawings but cannot endorse plans, and nobody can legally “settle” an approval outside that process. ClickBina's permit guide puts architect or draughtsman fees for minor extension drawings at RM3,000–RM10,000 and PE fees at RM2,000–RM8,000.
Under the Street, Drainage and Building Act 1974 (Act 133) and the Uniform Building By-Laws 1984, building work that adds to or alters the structure of a house needs the local council's approval before it starts. ClickBina's guide to council approval for renovations explains which works need it and which are usually exempt.
The council does not accept plans from just anyone. The permit guide notes that only drawings endorsed by a registered architect or PE are accepted for structural or extension submissions, and that commissioning drawings from an unregistered draughtsman is a common mistake. The person who submits is the person the council deals with, and the person whose name sits on the certificates at the end.
| Who | What they do | What they cannot do |
|---|---|---|
| Registered architect | Prepares and submits architectural plans; acts as the principal submitting person | Design the structure without an engineer |
| Registered building draughtsman | Prepares and submits plans for smaller works, where the council accepts a draughtsman | Sign for structure, or for works outside the scope the council allows |
| Professional engineer (PE) | Designs and endorses the structure: foundations, beams, columns, slabs | Replace the architectural submission |
| Renovation contractor | Builds to the approved drawings, coordinates the trades | Prepare or endorse plans for submission |
| Owner | Applies and signs; submits a pelan setara where the council allows one | Start work before approval |
For most extensions and structural changes, a registered architect is the principal submitting person. The architect checks the plan against the local plan for land use, plot ratio and setbacks, draws the proposal, submits it through the council's One-Stop Centre, answers the council's comments and follows the job through to the completion documents. ClickBina's guide to illegal extensions lists the architect as the principal submitting person for an extension, with a PE for any structural element.
Many homeowners meet a draughtsman first, because for small works a draughtsman is cheaper and quicker. The same permit guide records that some councils accept a registered draughtsman for minor works, and the pelan setara guide notes that in Shah Alam a full submission can be certified by a professional architect or a draughtsman registered with the Board of Architects.
The word that matters is registered. A person who draws plans but is not registered cannot endorse a submission, and the drawings may have to be redone. Each council decides which works a draughtsman may submit, so ask the council or the draughtsman to confirm your job falls inside that scope before you pay.
Whoever submits the architectural plans, anything that carries load needs a professional engineer: new foundations, columns and beams, a removed load-bearing wall, a new slab, an upper floor. The PE designs it, endorses the structural drawings, and for regularisation inspects what was built and certifies whether it is sound. ClickBina's guides say plainly that the engineer decides the structure, not the contractor, and that a council will not accept a structural submission without a PE.
A renovation contractor builds. A good one reads the approved drawings, points out what will not work on site, prices the work and coordinates the trades. What a contractor cannot do is prepare or endorse plans for submission, or decide on a structural design. If a contractor offers to “handle the approval”, ask who the architect or draughtsman is and who the PE is, by name, and whose name will be on the submission.
ClickBina's guide to choosing a renovation contractor covers the other checks: written scope, payment schedule tied to progress and a contract that says who is responsible for approvals.
Some councils publish a book of standard sketches for common small jobs on terrace houses, such as extending the front roof over the car porch or building a front wall. The owner picks the matching sketch, fills in the house details, signs and submits it without a consultant. The trade-off is that nobody checks your particular structure: the owner carries full responsibility for its stability. Anything outside the sketches goes the full route with an architect or draughtsman.
Some runners and contractors offer to “settle” the council: skip the plans, speed up an approval for a fee, or make an enforcement notice go away. There is no lawful version of this. Approval comes from a proper submission, prepared by the people above, and paid through the council's published fees. Paying someone to influence an officer is a bribe, and offering or giving one is an offence under Malaysia's anti-corruption law, for the giver as well as the taker.
Even when nobody is bribed, a shortcut usually means work without approval, and the consequences land on the owner. ClickBina's guide to renovating without a permit explains stop-work orders, demolition notices and why banks hesitate to lend on unapproved works. The illegal extension guide records a fine of up to RM10,000 under Act 133 for building without approval, plus a continuing fine. Its warning signs match the renovation scam guide: cash only, no names, no receipts and pressure to start before anything is approved.
| Item | Indicative price (Klang Valley, 2026) | Source guide |
|---|---|---|
| Architect or draughtsman fees, minor extension drawings | RM3,000 – RM10,000 | Renovation permit guide |
| PE fees, structural drawings | RM2,000 – RM8,000 | Renovation permit guide |
| Total professional fees, rear extension | RM5,000 – RM18,000 | Renovation permit guide |
| Professional plus council fees, rear extension | RM7,000 – RM20,000 | Renovation permit guide |
| Regularising works done without approval (architect and PE fees) | RM3,000 – RM15,000 | Illegal extension guide |
| Council processing fees and penalty when regularising | RM500 – RM5,000 | Illegal extension guide |
| Owner-initiated demolition of an unapproved structure | RM5,000 – RM25,000 | Illegal extension guide |
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. A renovation site visit is free, and a repair inspection is RM180, deducted from the bill if you go ahead. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteSet against the regularisation and demolition rows, the professional fees for doing it properly at the start are usually the cheaper route.
ClickBina is an experienced KL & Selangor contractor for whole-house refurbishment and trade coordination. For work that needs approval, the plans and structural design stay with your architect or draughtsman and a professional engineer; ClickBina prices and builds the works to the approved drawings. WhatsApp us your job details for a quote: the area, the property type and the work you have in mind. We reply within the hour, and the price we agree is a flat price with no hidden charges.
How we estimated prices: every figure is quoted unchanged from the ClickBina guide named beside it; they are indicative Klang Valley ranges, not a quotation. Each council sets its own process and the scope a draughtsman may submit. This page is general information, not legal advice.
WhatsApp us your job details for a quote — we reply within the hour. A renovation site visit is free, and a repair inspection is RM180, deducted from the bill if you go ahead. We serve KL, Selangor & Putrajaya.
💬 WhatsApp for a quoteTell us what you need — we reply within the hour.