News report of 100,000 housing units unsold ‘inaccurate’, Napic’s housing data must be understood, says KPKT

• KPKT assured the public that the government remains committed to ensuring the property market stays healthy, sustainable, and is guided by accurate data.

KUALA LUMPUR (Sept 5): The Ministry of Housing and Local Government (KPKT) has assured that the national housing data prepared and reported is accurate.

The ministry today released a statement in reaction to a newspaper report about more than 100,000 housing units being unsold in the market. KPKT “finds the news report to be inaccurate”.

“To ensure that accurate, transparent, and consistent information is made available to the public and stakeholders, KPKT works closely with the National Property Information Centre (Napic) in the preparation and reporting of national housing data,” stated the ministry in a statement today.

“This strategic collaboration is being strengthened through the implementation of the ‘1 Data for 1 Nation’ initiative, whereby a single data entry method is applied via the Housing Information Management System (HIMS) developed by the National Housing Department.

“This integrated system will ensure the accuracy, clarity, and consistency of housing data nationwide. It is intended to become the main reference point for the country’s housing sector and will help prevent contradictory reports among various agencies, state governments, local authorities (PBT), and developers. With accurate and consistent data, housing policies can be formulated more effectively, with a focused approach based on the actual demand of the people,” KPKT said. 

KPKT assured the public that the government remains committed to ensuring the property market stays healthy, sustainable, and is guided by accurate data.

KPKT said that the definitions related to housing status have now been refined as follows:
1.    Completed but unsold—residential units that have been built but not yet sold;
2.    Under construction but not yet sold—residential units currently being built and not yet sold;
3.    Approved but not yet constructed—residential units that have received construction permits from the National Housing Department but have not yet begun construction.

“Additionally, KPKT has introduced a new definition, namely ‘Sick Projects’, to ensure more comprehensive reporting and monitoring of housing projects that are delayed or abandoned. A sick project refers to a project that has failed to be completed within the period stated in the sale and purchase agreement (SPA),” the ministry revealed.

National housing market remains stable and under control 

“Referring to the newspaper report about the 100,000 unsold homes, it includes data from the following categories: completed but unsold units, under-construction but unsold units, and approved but not yet constructed units.

“Therefore, it is important to emphasize that based on official data from Napic, the number of completed but unsold units has shown a declining trend in every first quarter since 2022. The official statistics are as follows: 

2022: 35,592 units
2023: 26,872 units
2024: 24,208 units
2025: 23,515 units”

The ministry added that this “development proves that the national housing market remains stable and under control, while the government’s efforts to strengthen housing policies and balance supply with demand have yielded positive results”.

“In line with this, KPKT has submitted 13 key proposed initiatives to the Ministry of Finance as part of preparations for the Budget 2026. These proposals aim to invigorate the MADANI economic framework, including helping the people to own their first home more easily and affordably through the implementation of the MADANI Home Ownership Campaign (HOC 3.0). This campaign includes tax and non-tax incentive packages aimed at encouraging home ownership while boosting the country’s real estate sector as a key pillar of the national economy,” stated the ministry.

As Penang girds itself towards the last lap of its Penang2030 vision, check out how the residential segment is keeping pace in EdgeProp’s special report: PENANG Investing Towards 2030.