# Moving to KL, help needed



## Kipperpie (Aug 24, 2015)

Hi,

I currently work in Australia but a UK company has offered me a role covering Asia Pacific with some UK and US travel.

Most of my work will be in SE Asia but not Malaysia.

KL is looking good for a central location with good communication links with SE Asia and Western Australia, plus is a little nearer UK and US than Western Australia.

I will be moving with my wife and older teenage son (schooling is not required). We are currently in KL on a visit to see about living here for the next 5 years plus. It looks good.

This has happened quite quickly and I am trying to do as much research as possible. All help is appreciated.

I have a couple of specific questions:

LIVING

1) Good areas to live. Probably would prefer some expat contact. We are originally from the UK but have lived in Canada, US and Oz. Good internet and phone coverage a must.

2) Condo with facilities OR house?. Security is important and we will be away from home for several months per year. A 3 or 4 bedroom condo/house is needed as I will operate from home. Would a condo or house be better, and what is the cost. Real estate agents please feel free to contact me with info.

3) Driving. The Golden Triangle seems like gridlock at times. How is driving in the rest of the city? Are cars expensive compared to Oz or UK?

VISA

1) There seems to be several options including MM2H, setting up a Labuan International Company. Is it possible to get permanent (or long-term temporary) residence without a work permit? Migration Agents feel free to contact me.

2) What are the benefits and tax implications of each option? I will need a local accountant so please feel free to contact me if you are an accountant who specialises in expat tax, or if you can recommend one.

CULTURAL

We are reasonably widely traveled and adaptable. Is there anything specific about the cultural aspects of living living in KL that may helps us?

OPTIONS

KL is the option we are currently considering but feel free to offer any alternative suggestions. Essentially, we will be travelling to Australia a lot to support existing clients plus Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for new clients. UK and US trips are up to four times a year. Schooling is unimportant. Security and lifestyle are important. We are reasonably sociable and do enjoy going out.

We will be in KL on this trip until 29th August. Recommendations for a real estate agents for rentals, migration agents and accountants for expats will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.


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## fhatmoy (Aug 19, 2015)

Hi,

I'm from Malaysia living in Kuala Lumpur.

I can give few opinion for some of your question.

LIVING

I'm suggesting you to rent a condo rather than a house as it is much safer if you stay in the city centre. Among the place I could suggest you is living in a condo near KLCC or KL SENTRAL.

Lots of expat living in CONDO near KLCC and it is at the city centre. But for my opinion you better get a car to commute if you live here since train station is quite a walk from nearest CONDO. (15-20minutes walk). But if you rent a CONDO near to KL SENTRAL it is much easier as KL SENTRAL is transportation hub to almost all train in KUALA LUMPUR and if you need to go to KLIA or KLIA2. Just take ERL train from KL SENTRAL, it takes only 25 minutes to reach KLIA or KLIA2 to catch a flight.

CULTURAL

Nothing specific, since Malaysia is multicultural country I think you could adapt well in here. Just make sure don't wear any cloth that show much skin in public, or else you will catch people's eyes when walking around. : )


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## Kipperpie (Aug 24, 2015)

fhatmoy said:


> Hi,
> 
> I'm from Malaysia living in Kuala Lumpur.
> 
> ...


Thanks for that. I have been looking around and a large condo is probably better. I will be working from home so commuting isn't a problem. KLCC looks better than KL Sentral.


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## shafiran (Sep 14, 2015)

Kipperpie said:


> Thanks for that. I have been looking around and a large condo is probably better. I will be working from home so commuting isn't a problem. KLCC looks better than KL Sentral.


Hi,

I cant answers most of your question but if you ever think of moving to Subang Jaya. Do drop me message. I do have a fully furnished 3 bedroom condominium with top notch facilities in Bandar Sunway. Even though it is quite a distant from KLCC but there are few ways of getting there even with public transportation. I will provide you the full details of the unit if you are interested to know more.

Thank you.

Regards,
Shafiran


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## sattish36 (Sep 15, 2015)

Hi, 

My name is Sattish and I am living in Kuala Lumpur. If you are looking to rent a condo with big size in KLCC area, do let me know, I got a furnished unit with 5 bedroom in there. 

Thank You


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## sansan5422 (Sep 27, 2015)

Hi Kipperpie,

Not sure if you have already settled the housing issue, just a suggestion for u to google Mont Kiara, KL. The township is quite popular for expats and security wise may be up to your standards 

Do feel free to contact me if you are interested to know more.

Thank you


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## extercy (Oct 5, 2015)

Hi,
Not sure if you are already in Malaysia but my comments are below your questions.

1) Good areas to live. Probably would prefer some expat contact. We are originally from the UK but have lived in Canada, US and Oz. Good internet and phone coverage a must.

Mon't Kiara is where most expats live. Mainly condos but there are some houses. There are 2 international schools there so traffic can be quite bad at times. It can be expensive but KLCC will cost double the price of Mon't Kiara I assume.

Broadband internet is acceptable here but more expensive comparatively to other neighbouring countries. If you need to connect internationally, it can be slow. Advertise speeds of Broadband here are based on, in Malaysia speed, local. What this means is, you won't get those advertise speeds if you are connecting to servers not in Malaysia. Of course this is on best effort.. can find this in their find print.



2) Condo with facilities OR house?. Security is important and we will be away from home for several months per year. A 3 or 4 bedroom condo/house is needed as I will operate from home. Would a condo or house be better, and what is the cost. Real estate agents please feel free to contact me with info.

Condo in Mon't Kiara but not all the condos there are the same. Mon't Kiara became famous with security and all due to a developer, Sunrise. So your best bet is to get one of those condos by this developer. Just ask the realtor is the condo complex was by Sunrise. I am no agent but I have feedback from friends that were there and some are still living in the community.



3) Driving. The Golden Triangle seems like gridlock at times. How is driving in the rest of the city? Are cars expensive compared to Oz or UK?

YES. Cars in Malaysia are expensive and used car prices are ridicules here as compared to UK and USA. The most ridicules used car price is the Malaysia made car Proton and its counterpart Perodua. These are really cheaply made cars with an expensive price tag, in addition, are not safe in EURO NCAP sense. There is a double standard for these cars for locals and export. Perodua are actually Daewoo, Korea, after rebadge. In all, these 2 brands have high resale values. Don't buy them used !

Look for a Japanese brand or a conti rebadge like some of the NAZA cars which are actually Peugeot. Do look for an auto and not a stick shift... gridlock here is crazy.

Driving around in other areas will depends on the time and occasion i.e festivals, celebrations, etc. Use an app call Waze as your GPS/Navigation since it will will you the best route. Toll highways are the best to save time but this will be handle by Waze.



CULTURAL

We are reasonably widely traveled and adaptable. Is there anything specific about the cultural aspects of living living in KL that may helps us?


In short, even though Malaysia look in appearance like a developing nation, overall Malaysia act like a third world country. I am not saying everyone but there is a majority. So be cautious. I am a Malaysian so I have to accept the facts here even though it hurts. I tell it like it is. Though, Malaysians are more favourable to people from the West.


OPTIONS

KL is the option we are currently considering but feel free to offer any alternative suggestions. Essentially, we will be travelling to Australia a lot to support existing clients plus Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos for new clients. UK and US trips are up to four times a year. Schooling is unimportant. Security and lifestyle are important. We are reasonably sociable and do enjoy going out.

Singapore. All you mentioned can be achieved there. 


We will be in KL on this trip until 29th August. Recommendations for a real estate agents for rentals, migration agents and accountants for expats will be greatly appreciated.


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