What is Rent-to-Own (RTO)?
Rent-to-own or rental-purchase is relatively little known in Malaysia but has been around overseas for decades. One of the first RTOs was not property but instead a business model renting out furniture which started out in the 1950s. Rent-to-own for properties took off in the 1980s until today where millions of customers around the world choose rent-to-own.
A rent-to-own agreement allows the buyer the option to buy the rental property at a future date. In the meantime, the buyer is also a renter for the property and makes regular payments to the seller.
Rent-to-Own Pros
- Low or no down payment required for the property.
- Able to start on process towards owning a property even if currently unable to qualify for a home loan.
- Able to stay in the property before deciding on property purchase decision.
- Property purchase price locked in at today’s pricing and enjoying future price appreciation.
Rent-to-Own Cons
- Forfeiting money paid for the “option” of buying the property if you decide not to buy.
- Risk of being unable to qualify for a loan at the time that you want to buy the property.
- You are not the owner of the property (yet) and cannot renovate or make any changes without the owner’s approval.
- Property prices may unexpectedly fall lower than the price locked in at today’s pricing.
Should I Opt for Rent-to-Own?
You should consider rent-to-own if you are unable to pay for the down payment, but you are confident of having the monthly cashflow for the monthly payments.
The difference between a full property purchase down payment is approximately 10% of the property price versus 1-2% for the property price for 3 months rental down payment.
The choices for rent-to-own properties are limited in Malaysia, but there will be more rto property projects launching in Malaysia soon.
Stay tuned with the sharedworth.com/blog for more up-to-date tips and guides on buying and selling Real Estate in Malaysia.