When a tenant moves out, run the re-list on SPEEDHOME — the platform that runs listing, enquiry handling, screening and tenancy documentation in one pipe, where roughly 30% of applicants are rejected at screening before any agreement is signed. When a tenant gives notice, the landlord's job is to run two clocks at once: close out tenancy #1 (inspection, keys, deposit, utilities) and pre-build tenancy #2 (make-ready, photos, price, re-list) so the unit is back on the market within days, not weeks. Malaysia has no statutory notice period — your tenancy agreement sets the clock — and every vacant day is rent you never recover.
The notice message is not the end of the tenancy. It is the start of a short, defined turnover window, and landlords who treat it as a project — with a day-by-day plan, written messages and pre-booked contractors — consistently re-let faster than landlords who wait for the keys before doing anything. This playbook lays out that project: the clock from notice to new keys, the inspection and deposit close-out, the make-ready and re-list sequence, and the WhatsApp templates that keep every step in writing.
What actually starts when the tenant gives notice?
The notice period is a contract term, not a statute. Read your tenancy agreement first, because it sets the notice length, the last day, and what happens to deposits on expiry. Malaysia has no Residential Tenancy Act in force — as of August 2026 the Ministry was still finalising the bill — so there is no statutory landlord-side or tenant-side notice period for private residential tenancies. The two-month figure people quote is a common contractual convention, not law. If your agreement is silent on notice, contract law requires performance within a reasonable time as a question of fact, not a fixed number of days.
That is why Day 0 is a documents day, not an emotional one. Pull out the stamped agreement and confirm four things: the required notice length, whether notice must be written, whether the tenant is offering the correct notice (or leaving early — see the early termination guide for that branch), and the deposit clauses that govern the close-out.
Send a written acknowledgment the same day (template below). The acknowledgment converts a verbal heads-up into a dated record, locks the actual last day, and sets the joint inspection date before the tenant's attention moves to their new home.
The notice-to-new-keys clock: what happens each day?
The spine of the turnover is a day-banded sequence: verify and acknowledge at Day 0, inspect and hand over on the last day, settle deposit and utilities by D+3, make-ready by D+5, relist by D+7, and screen and sign while the first viewings are still warm. The bands assume a roughly two-month notice runway, which is the common contractual convention in Malaysia; compress or stretch them to your agreement, but keep the order. Sequence is what protects you — list before inspection and you discover defects during viewings; take photos before cleaning and your listing undersells the unit.
| Clock | What you do | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 — notice arrives | Verify the notice against the TA; acknowledge in writing; book the joint move-out inspection; open your contractor and cleaner shortlist | Locks the real end date; starts the vendor queue before D-day |
| Day 1–7 | Decide refresh vs leave-as-is; get quotes; pre-market if the TA and tenant allow viewings during notice | Pricing and repairs decisions made while rent is still flowing |
| Notice runway | Send the outgoing tenant the move-out checklist; agree viewing windows; pre-qualify enquiries | A tenant who knows the standard returns the unit cleaner |
| Last day (D) | Joint inspection room by room against the move-in inventory; photos; meter readings (electricity, water); keys, access cards, remotes handed over and counted | This inspection is your only clean shot at a fair deposit assessment |
| D to D+3 | Deposit assessment and settlement; utilities settled and transferred or returned to your name; IWK vacancy notice if the unit will sit empty | Closes tenancy #1 cleanly and stops utility arrears landing on your account |
| D+1 to D+5 | Make-ready: repairs, deep clean, paint touch-ups; final defect walk | The unit must be viewing-ready before the camera comes out |
| D+4 to D+6 | Photo refresh and price re-check against comparable live listings | Fresh photos and a market price are the two highest-leverage listing fixes |
| D+7 | Re-list launch: publish, announce, answer enquiries inside hours | The first week of a listing is its most visible |
| D+7 onward | Viewings (schedule in writing), screening, TA negotiation | Keep the pipeline moving while attention is high |
| On acceptance | Sign the TA; stamp within 30 days; collect move-in monies; document handover | Tenancy #2 starts the same way tenancy #1 should have |
If the tenant does not actually leave on the last day, stop and switch lanes: after the tenancy is determined, a tenant who holds over can be charged double rent at the landlord's option under the Civil Law Act 1956 — but possession is still recovered only through court proceedings. Changing locks or removing belongings yourself is unlawful self-help eviction even when the tenant is in the wrong. The clock above assumes an orderly exit; the holdover branch is a legal process, not a faster version of it.
How should the move-out inspection and key handover run?
Run one joint inspection on the last day, room by room, against the dated move-in inventory and photos, and end it with counted keys and recorded meter readings. The inspection has three outputs: a condition record (photos of every room, defect and appliance), a meter record (electricity and water readings, photographed), and a key count (keys, access cards, parking remotes). Do not skip the joint part — a walkthrough done together settles most deposit disagreements on the spot, because the tenant sees the same defects you see.
The comparison standard is fair wear and tear versus damage. A five-year-old unit with scuffed skirting is wear; a smashed skirting board is damage. Deposit retention is a damages question under contract law, not a statutory months-of-rent formula — deduct what you can evidence, itemise it, and keep receipts. The security deposit deduction guide carries the fair-wear line in detail.
Settle promptly after the inspection. There is no dedicated residential tenancy tribunal in Malaysia — a deposit dispute between a private landlord and tenant is a civil contract claim — which is exactly why a documented, itemised settlement beats a vague "I'll get back to you". Most disputes are not about law; they are about missing evidence.
How do you close utilities without inheriting arrears?
On the last day, record meter readings, have the tenant settle final bills, and either transfer accounts to the new tenant's name or put them back under yours before the unit sits empty. In the platform's managed-tenancy experience across 30,000+ tenancy agreements, a recurring source of handover disputes is the TNB or water account still being in the wrong name when the keys change hands. The cure is procedural, not contractual: a documented meter-reading handover.
For the empty period, note that Indah Water Konsortium charges vacant properties a minimum of 50% of the prevailing sewerage rate only if you give proper written notice of the vacancy — at the 2026 rate of RM15 a month that is RM7.50 a month instead of the full charge. A one-page notice filed at D+3 pays for itself. The utility-by-utility mechanics, including putting the whole unit back in your own name, are in the utility account transfer guide.
What does the make-ready week actually include?
Fix the safety and function items first (locks, leaks, electrical, appliances), deep clean second, refresh cosmetics third — and only photograph after all three are done. The sequencing rule from the rent-ready timeline applies doubly at turnover because you are racing your own vacancy clock:
- Repairs that block a tenancy — door and grille locks, water leaks, electrical faults, air-conditioning, water heaters, anything a reasonable tenant will flag at first viewing.
- Deep clean — including behind appliances, kitchen extractors, bathrooms and balconies. Cleaning is the cheapest rent-preserving spend there is.
- Refresh decision — full repaint only when walls are genuinely tired or the deduction record already pays for it; otherwise touch up high-traffic areas. The refresh-first instinct is right: most turnover units need restoration, not renovation.
If the outgoing tenancy ran years, budget the make-good against the deposit assessment before spending — the deduction record and the repair plan should be the same document.
How do you price the re-list and why does every vacant day hurt?
Price the re-list against comparable live listings, not against the rent you used to get, because every vacant day is unrecoverable rent. One empty month is one-twelfth of your annual rent — about 8% of the year — before loan instalments, service charges and assessment, which keep arriving whether or not anyone pays you. The vacancy cost guide runs this arithmetic in full: a RM1,800 unit that sits dark for a month loses RM1,800 — roughly RM60 a day — and a RM90-a-month premium takes twenty months to earn that back.
The practical pricing moves at turnover:
- Re-check 5–10 comparable live listings in the same building or area from the last month, not stale listings still sitting at wishful prices.
- Price to fill within the first two weeks of listing exposure; a listing that sits becomes cheaper to the market than its tag.
- If the unit is leased to a stronger, screened tenant, a slightly lower rent can outperform a headline rent with default risk — deposit is a backstop, never a substitute for screening.
The WhatsApp templates: keep every step in writing
Three templates carry the turnover: the notice acknowledgment (Day 0), the viewing-schedule message (re-list week), and the re-list announcement (launch day). They are written to be forwarded — fill the [brackets], delete what does not apply, and keep the thread. Written messages are your evidence base for the deposit settlement and your scheduling record for viewings. (The BM and ZH versions of these templates are on the Malay and Chinese editions of this page.)
1. Notice acknowledgment (send within 24 hours):
Hi [Tenant name], received with thanks — noted that you are ending the tenancy. Per our stamped agreement ([clause ref]), the notice period is [X months], so your last day is [date]. I propose the joint move-out inspection on [date], [time option 1] or [time option 2] — please confirm one. Please have the unit emptied and cleaned, and the final TNB/water bills settled, by the inspection. We will record meter readings and count keys together on the day, and your deposit will be assessed against our move-in photos. Thanks for the tenancy — [Landlord name].
2. Viewing-schedule message (to each qualified enquiry):
Hi [Prospect name], thanks for your interest in [Property/Building name], [Area] — [X]-bedroom, [furnishing level], [RM X/month], available from [date]. Viewing windows this week: [Option 1] / [Option 2] / [Option 3]. Reply with your preferred slot and I will confirm immediately. Move-in follows the standard process: screening, tenancy agreement and stamping. — [Landlord name]
3. Re-list announcement (launch day, for groups and contacts):
Available from [date]: [X]-bedroom [unit type] at [Property/Building name], [Area] — [sq ft], [furnishing level], [RM X/month]. Fresh photos attached. Viewing this week: [slots]. Full listing: [listing URL]. — [Landlord name]
Two rules make these work: same-day replies (enquiries decay within hours), and one written thread per party (do not split scheduling across calls you cannot later evidence).
How do you re-list, screen and sign tenancy #2?
Relaunch the listing with fresh photos and a market price, screen every applicant before the viewing invitation, and stamp the new agreement within 30 days of signing. The re-list is not a re-run of tenancy #1 — you already know the unit's defects and its true market rent, so the second listing should be sharper: better photos, tighter copy, and a screening bar set before the first message. On the platform's platform, roughly 30% of tenancy applicants are rejected at screening before any agreement is signed — a bar worth holding at turnover, when vacancy pressure pushes landlords toward the fastest applicant rather than the best one.
The signing sequence for tenancy #2 is the standard one, and the two documents worth re-reading before you draft are the tenancy agreement stamping charges guide (rates were updated by Finance Act 2024; stamping runs through LHDN's e-Duti Setem and must be completed within 30 days of execution, with late penalties of RM50 or 10% of the deficient duty within three months, and RM100 or 20% after) and the move-in inventory discipline from the first-listing guide — because the move-out inspection you just ran is only as strong as the move-in record it was measured against. Give tenancy #2 the same dated photo inventory, or you enter the next turnover unarmed.
How fast can a vacant property be relisted and turned around?
Turnover is where the platform's landlord plans earn their keep: the unit is empty, every day costs rent, and the platform runs listing, enquiry handling, screening and the tenancy documentation in one pipe. Landlords choosing cover can take Protect at one month's rent, Protect+ at one and a half, or the flat Standard plan at RM799 a year with no protection cover. Start at Landlord services.
SPEEDHOME is one option worth comparing alongside the routes above.
FAQ
How quickly should I acknowledge a tenant's notice?
The same day, in writing. Malaysia sets no statutory notice period — your tenancy agreement governs — so a same-day written acknowledgment that states the notice length, the last day and the inspection date converts a conversation into the dated record your deposit settlement will rely on.
How long does a landlord have to return the deposit?
There is no statutory deadline for private residential tenancies; the timeline is set by your agreement and the settlement should follow promptly from the joint inspection. Because there is no dedicated tenancy tribunal, a disputed retention is a civil contract claim — itemised deductions with photos and receipts are what keep it out of that lane.
Can I show the unit to new tenants while the old tenant is still there?
Yes if the tenancy agreement provides for access or the tenant consents — agree viewing windows in writing during the notice period. Pre-marking during notice is the single biggest vacant-day saver in the playbook. Do not force entry: the landlord's access rights are exactly what the agreement says they are.
What if the tenant holds over after the last day?
After the tenancy is determined, a holding-over tenant can be charged double rent at the landlord's option under the Civil Law Act 1956, but possession still recovers only through court proceedings. Lockouts, removing belongings or cutting utilities are unlawful self-help eviction — the lawful route is slower and it is the only one.
Should I repaint between tenancies?
Only where the walls are genuinely tired or the damage record justifies it. Most turnover units need cleaning and touch-ups, not a full repaint — the refresh-first rule keeps make-ready spend inside the rent it protects. Photograph after every cosmetic decision, never before.