Monitoring house prices differs from general price monitoring of goods, as MyCC’s role is to determine whether anti-competitive elements exist within an industry.
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Competition Commission (MyCC) has not received complaints or found evidence of anti-competitive conduct involving housing price offers or packages, despite public concerns over possible price fixing or market manipulation in the property sector.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Deputy Minister Datuk Dr Fuziah Salleh said MyCC’s findings to date did not indicate any such practices in the housing market.
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“Based on MyCC’s findings, there has been no anti-competitive conduct involving housing price offers and packages in the housing market,” she told the Dewan Rakyat.
She added that MyCC remains open to investigating any formal complaints received.
“If there are complaints from any party, MyCC is ready to carry out investigations, studies and subsequent enforcement,” she said.
The matter was raised by Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Abd Muttalib (PN–Maran), who asked about MyCC’s monitoring of housing prices and whether there were investigations into possible price fixing or market manipulation.
Fuziah said monitoring house prices differs from general price monitoring of goods, as MyCC’s role is to determine whether anti-competitive elements exist within an industry.
She said the commission has conducted several studies on the construction sector and building materials supply chain, including sand, steel, cement and ready-mixed concrete.
Among the studies carried out were reviews of the sand industry in Kota Baru and broader assessments of the construction materials market.
She added that MyCC had also examined cement pricing, which is a key factor affecting construction costs and property prices.
“Findings on cement prices showed that increases were due to higher raw material costs such as coal, production costs such as energy and fuel, as well as logistics and transport costs linked to geographical factors,” she said.
Fuziah also said MyCC monitors government procurement processes to prevent bid-rigging cartels, including those linked to housing projects.
“So far, there has been no investigation involving government housing projects,” she said.
She added that housing price growth has moderated in 2025, based on the Malaysian House Price Index published by the National Property Information Centre, with growth easing after reaching 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Responding to a suggestion for a more accessible public reporting mechanism for suspicious practices involving agents or developers, Fuziah said MyCC is open to considering the proposal.
She explained that MyCC enforcement can be triggered through three channels: public complaints, ex-officio investigations under Section 14(1), or ministerial directives under Section 14(2) of the Competition Act.
“These are the sources of power for enforcement based on findings,” she added.
