KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Mia Amani prefers to rent rather than owning a property.

Mia told Malay Mail that she finds committing to paying bank loans for 30 years scary.

"It’s too much paperwork, and I don’t want to get trapped in the legal aspect that I don’t understand.

"The riba is relatively worse,” the 26-year-old said, referring to a concept in Islamic banking that forbids the charging of interest.

Licensed financial planner Yuvarajan Periyan Yogeswaran initially preferred renting like Mia, but had a change of heart when he decided to get married and start a family.

The 28-year-old who currently resides in Sentul, pays RM3,500 monthly for a house he bought this year in Petaling Jaya.

"During the early part of my career, I was very keen on renting because of the independence it gave me.

"As I progressed in my career and decided to get married and raise a family, I started looking into properties which catered to both me and my partner,” he told Malay Mail.

Even as his life priorities are changing, Yuvarajan said that location is still the deciding factor on buying any property.

"Besides being convenient for me to travel to work, I look for a place with schools, right amenities and a good neighbourhood for me to raise my kids.

"I believe the best time for you to get a property to stay is during your early 30s.

"You are more likely to have a stable career and may have figured out your life goals to a certain extent at this age,” he said.

Renting turned into a nightmare for Sarmila Krishnan when her landlord asked her to vacate her pad within 24 hours without any prior notice.

The experience led her to take a joint loan with her fiance to buy a house at Elmina Green Four in 2021, for which they currently pay RM2,800 monthly for the property.

"We just wanted a place to call our home when it feels like the whole world is against us sometimes,” she said.

Sarmila, who works as an assistant manager in Puchong, plans to move into their new home once she ties the knot with her fiance next year.

"Since Elmina was a developing area and my fiance is from Kedah, we wanted a place near to the Klang Valley but with easy access to Kedah,” she said.

Elmina Green Four is located in Shah Alam, with easy access to the Guthrie Corridor Expressway that is also linked to the North-South Expressway, the main trunk connecting cities up and down the west coast of peninsula Malaysia.

Despite being a homeowner now, Sarmila said that she would rather sell the house than rent it out in future should the property value appreciate.

"My parents once had to deal with a rowdy tenant who refused to leave and I certainly don’t want to go through that,” she explained.

It appears that young working Malaysians are still holding on to the old adage that buying a house is always better than renting.

That, however, is hardly surprising since a survey by HSBC in 2019 ranked Malaysia as the most property-obsessed nation in South-east Asia and fourth in the world, behind the United Arab Emirates, the United States and Taiwan.

Thum Hau Ling explains why he considers buying a wiser choice than renting although home owners have to fork out more for repair and maintenance.

The Johor-Baru based pharmacist said he currently pays RM1,800 monthly RM1,800 for a property in Skudai which he purchased in 2016.

"Once I settle the housing loan and the house price appreciates, I can sell the property and get a lump sum for my personal use or to pass down to my children,” the 36-year-old said.