Owners of residential property in Kuala Lumpur who are renting out their place short-term must register with Kuala Lumpur City Council - Filepic: Jens Kalaene / dpa

RESIDENTIAL property owners or operators who are renting out their property for short-term stays via AirBnB and the like are now required to register with Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

In a statement released today, DBKL said it was taking the proactive measure of registering and studying the feasibility of such activities in different parts Kuala Lumpur so that operators could rent out their property legally.

“Short-term rental is widely marketed through websites such as AirBnB, HomeAway, as well as iBilik, and it may cause disturbance to other units and contribute to safety and cleanliness problems.

“The registration programme is done so that the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) can conduct studies on the operators who rent out their properties for short-term stays legally and be placed under the supervision of DBKL.

“Failure to register will be considered as an offence, and action will be taken by DBKL,” the statement said.

The registration programme for short-term rental activity starts now and will continue throughout the year.

Those wanting to register can visit elesen.dbkl.gov.my. Registration is opened to any individuals, agents or companies that conduct such activity without any citizenship restrictions. Registration is free.