Land Rent Payment
Do you have a land title? Anyone having a land title classified as payable will be issued with a land rent book and required to pay a minimal sum of land rent annually.
Payment of land rent is mandatory by virtue of Section 22 and Section 24 of the Sarawak Land Code. Failure to pay land rent is deemed as breaching the implied condition of the land title and defaulters can be subjected to statutory action, such as their land being taken back by the government under Section 33 of the Land Code.
Payment of rent must be made on or before the date of the registration of land title in the Lands and Surveys offices. This date is clearly indicated at the bottom of the left hand corner of your land title. The same date is also stamped on the rent booklet. A surcharge of 50 percent will be levied on those who failed to settle their land rent on time.
Rates for land rent are determined by the category of land (town, suburban or country land) and usage on the land (for the purpose of commercial, industrial, office/institution, recreational, residential or agriculture).
Land rent can be paid at all revenue counters of the Lands and Surveys Offices as well as the counters of district and sub-district offices throughout Sarawak.
For the convenience of landowners, the Department allows online payment through www.paybillsmalaysia.com, where subscribers are also notified a month prior to the due date of the anniversary date of their land title. Landowners who have paid their land rent through paybillsmalaysia may update their rent booklet at any revenue counter of Lands and Surveys offices in Sarawak.
Every payment of land rent must be printed on the rent booklet and therefore it is crucial for landowners to present the rent booklet whenever making their payment.
As land rent is one of the major revenue sources for the State, it is imperative for the Lands and Surveys Department to ensure that land rent is assessed correctly and promptly collected. It is also important for members of the public and the business community to understand they have an obligation to settle their land rent promptly.
