Housing pathways of young starters in urban Malaysia

Abstract

Young starters refer to those between 25 and 34 years of age who are establishing themselves in society (Zairul et al., 2015). Traditionally, the housing pathways of young people in Malaysia follow the Renting-Owning trajectory, which was the experience of the Baby Boomers up until the Generation X cohort. An important workforce segment, the housing pathways of incumbent young starters may not parallel those of preceding young starters due to current economic uncertainties, challenging housing market conditions and changing preferences. Given this context and the non-linearity and chaotic nature of housing pathways, an examination into the housing pathways of Malaysia’s young starters is highly timely. This paper aims to provide an insight into the experiences and perceptions on housing pathways among young starters in urban Malaysia. A convergent mixed methods strategy was adopted to inform on the current housing tenure and perceptions on the mainstream tenures among young starters. The study area is the Klang Valley which is the development and economic centre of Malaysia and has been the focus of government policy and developer activity pertaining to housing. Results suggest a general perception and experience of unaffordability in home ownership among the respondents, despite general preference and inspiration to own. Although renting is still a viable alternative, psychological and social resistance had led to a prolonged period of living with parents and/or family members. The current housing supply overhang suggests that non-affordability to buy and non-willingness to rent are signals to rethink the mainstream tenure offerings and venture into types of alternative tenures.