Hey peeps, WELCOME! :) For my first post, I'm going to share the steps in buying an affordable house through RUMAWIP! For your kind information, I have successfully applied one this year (yay :D) and I found that the whole process is lengthy and not that easy (especially for first home buyer -like me- due to lack of experience).
So let the sharing begins...
First and foremost, what is RUMAWIP?
RUMAWIP stands for Rumah Mampu Milik Wilayah Persekutuan. It is an affordable housing scheme launched by our government dedicated to low and moderate income earners working or living in Wilayah Persekutuan (WP). The property is affordably priced between RM52,000 and RM300,000 depending on the unit size and property location. However, you cannot rent or sell the property within 10 years, counting from building in construction period.
Who is eligible?
Malaysians, aged 18 or above, working or living in WP, with individual monthly salary of not more than RM10,000 (if you are single) or combined monthly salary of not more than RM15,000 (if you are married), and do not own any house in WP.
FAQ:
1. I'm just renting a room / staying in my aunt's house in KL, am I still eligible to apply?
Yes as long as you are able to provide "proof" of staying (electricity and water bills).
2. I own a house in KL but I would like to apply for a RUMAWIP project in Labuan, can?
Cannot. WP comprises Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan. As long as you bought a house in any of these three territories before you apply for RUMAWIP, you are not eligible.
3. I bought a condominium few years ago in KL but it was a joint name property. Am I eligible?
No. Joint name property is counted as one unit of property unless you have made ownership transfer to someone else, meaning that property does not belong to you anymore.
Where to check out the list of available projects / apply?
1. Register & Pick Your Dream House
Create an account in RUMAWIP portal and straight browse through the list of available projects. Shortlist few properties depending on your preference like location for instance and study them.
(a) Check the Google Map to know the exact spot; visit the site if you have never been to that area; check the surrounding and see what's there (e.g. any school? hospital? mall? market? HTC (High Tension Cables)? etc.)
(b) Find out more about your property at Forum Lowyat, see what other people say about the property. If you don't know how, just Google search your property name + forum lowyat. For example: kepongmas forum lowyat
If after all research and study and you think that yes, this is the property I'm looking for, then please proceed to apply and go to next step.
2. Documents Submission
If the application status is "Layak Diproses", then you can begin preparing the required documents:
-Application Form (can be found at RUMAWIP portal)
Original copies of:
-Letter of Oath
-Proxy Appointment Form (if any)
Photocopies of:
-IC of applicant and spouse
-Marriage / Divorce / Death Certificate (if any)
-Pay Slip (latest month) OR Bank Statement (for those without pay slip) (latest 3 months) of applicant and spouse
-EPF Statement OR Income Tax Statement (for those without EPF) of applicant and spouse
-Electricity AND Water Bill of the place you are staying
-Birth Certificate of children (if any)
-OKU Card of applicant, spouse and children (if any)
-Job Confirmation Letter of applicant and spouse
-Sales & Purchase Agreement (SPA) of existing property owned (if any)
*just ignore the word "spouse" if you are not married
You will need to submit ALL the required documents by hand or by post to the body in charge of your selected property. It's a common mistake that all documents are to be submitted to Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL). Please check properly the address of "Tempat Serahan Dokumen" stated on the page of your desired property. Also, take note of the operation hours (if you are sending the documents by hand).
Example:
FAQ:
1. Where to get Letter of Oath?
Download and print "Surat Akuan Sumpah" from RUMAWIP portal and visit your nearest Commissioner For Oath for signature. It will cost you RM4.
2. What is the usage of Proxy Appointment Form?
Appointment of proxy means you would like to appoint someone to represent you to attend the balloting day in case you are unable to make it. What you need to do is just to download and print the "Borang Perlantikan Proksi" from RUMAWIP portal and pass to the Commissioner Of Oaths together with the Letter of Oath for signature. It will cost you another RM4.
On a personal note, I would strongly advise you to take a half day leave (as they don't work on weekend) to settle all these (from visiting Commissioner For Oath to dropping the documents to the address stated). Prepare a A4-sized envelope and put all the documents inside, seal and write your name and name of property applied (not compulsory but you know, no one likes messy stuff :) Be kind to the RUMAWIP officers and they will be kind to you too :) )
3. Wait
Yes, all you need to do is wait, wait and wait as the RUMAWIP officers process your application. This may take some time (like a few weeks). You can always keep track of your application latest status in RUMAWIP portal by logging in to your account. In case the status is still showing "LAYAK DIPROSES" after like a month, please take initiative to call them and ask if they receive your documents.
4. "TAWARAN UNIT"
If you see the status has been updated to "Tawaran Unit", congratulations! You have been offered a chance to ballot for a unit of your desired property! Please check your email box (the email you used to sign up a RUMAWIP account) and you will find an email with subject "Panggilan Cabut Undi" with a link to download "Surat Berjaya Tapisan".
At this point, please be informed that you will be dealing directly with the DEVELOPER itself and not RUMAWIP anymore. You have two options now:
(a) Wait for the developer's sales advisor (SA) to ring you up
(b) Call the developer (phone number can be found in the "Surat Berjaya Tapisan") and ask:
-when is the balloting?
-where the balloting takes place?
-what you need to bring during balloting day?
I will attach my "Surat Berjaya Tapisan" as a sample here:
FAQ:
1. I cannot attend the ballot! How?
Did you appoint any proxy? If yes, then ask your proxy to attend and draw the unit number on behalf of you. If no, then please inform your developer. Normally, they will put you in the next batch of balloting (if they are kind enough).
2. I don't feel like wanting the property now. What will happen if I give up?
As far as I'm concerned, you will be blacklisted by RUMAWIP and you cannot apply any RUMAWIP project in the near future.
5. Balloting Day
Prepare all the things needed as told by your SA. Normally you will need to bring your original IC, the offer letter ("Surat Berjaya Tapisan") and a cheque.
How much money you need to prepare, you ask? There are typically two scenarios:
(a) 10% of the property price
Some developer makes it a must for the successful applicants to prepare 10% of the property price which serves as the down payment. If you property costs RM300,000 then you will need to prepare RM30,000.
(b) Few thousands Ringgit
Some developer only requires you to prepare a few thousands Ringgit like RM5,000 for instance that serves as the booking fee.
Thus make sure you did question your developer on this.
During the balloting day, you will first need to register (I would call it as attendance marking) at the designated counter before you can get a ballot number. If you get ballot number "39", that means you are the 39th person to draw the unit number.
What you need to do next is to wait for your turn to draw the unit number. Depending on the project you chosen, the style of unit number is written can vary. Like if the project has only one block, then you may be getting "31-22", meaning 31st floor, unit number 22. In contrast, if the project has few blocks, then you can get something like "B-04-17", meaning Block B, 4th floor, unit number 17.
After that, you will need to decide to proceed or to give up. If you are satisfy with the unit you got, then you can proceed to sign SPA with the one of the panel lawyers (there will be lawyers appointed by the developer who will be sitting at the same venue during balloting day).
What if you are not satisfy? There are two scenarios:
(a) Developer allows you to draw an unit number again
Yes, you can draw again but who knows if the next one is better than the one you have drawn earlier?
(b) Developer doesn't allow you to draw again
You can give up and that's it. I heard some people say if you give it a pass, you will be blacklisted by RUMAWIP for some time.
Remark: Some developer allows you to choose unit (especially those low-demand properties).
FAQ:
1. I don't have a cheque book. How?
You can seek help from your friends, family members, colleagues or anyone you know whom has a cheque book. You will need to transfer the amount you need to his/her bank account (unless he/she says no need :p ) for the issuance of cheque. He/she will need to sign on the cheque, NOT YOU.
2. NONE of the people I know has a cheque book! How?
No worries, you can buy a bank draft from any bank. Yes, any bank. Just go to the bank and say you want to buy a bank draft. Take waiting number, fill in the given form and wait for your turn. Make sure you have money with you / in your bank account (If your money is in CIMB and you don't want to withdraw the money and go to other bank to get the bank draft, just buy the bank draft from any of the CIMB branches. They will perform deduction from your bank account.)
3. My developer requires me to pay 10% of the property price on the balloting day and I don't have that amount! How?
You have few choices:
(a) Borrow from your friends and family
(b) Check with few different banks to see whether you are eligible for 100% mortgage loan
If you are entitled for 100% loan, request the banker to send you a letter of pre-approved loan stating you are entitled for 100% loan. Normally developer will ask you to prepare the 10% amount but allow you to only pay a few thousands (booking fee) if you can present the loan pre-approval letter from bank during the balloting day.
This is how a pre-approved loan letter looks like:
(c) withdraw from EPF
Visit any of the EPF branches and check whether you are allowed to use EPF's account 2 for house purchasing purpose. They will advise you all the necessary steps and you just have to follow as per instructed.
4. How to know if the developer allows unit choosing?
Just ask your developer how they assign the unit number, as simple as that.
5. I must sign SPA on the spot?
Depends on your developer.
6. I have my own lawyer. Can I don't use the panel lawyers?
Can.
7. What is the benefit of using the panel lawyers instead of finding one outside by myself?
Normally, developer will offer reduced or even waived legal fee on SPA if you use their panel lawyers.
Wow, such a long post solely on RUMAWIP application. Thanks for your time! If you have any question, feel free to comment below :)
xoxo
Oh My Ringgit ♥
 For my first post, I'm going to share the steps in buying an affordable house through RUMAWIP! For your k...){kind=link}