As Malaysia is predicted to be an old country by the year 2030, developing a retirement village shall be an avenue for senior citizens to have a welfare and conducive placement for them to spend their time with value-added amenities that cater their special needs. Nevertheless, the hurdle that Malaysia faces is the non-existence of any legal framework to govern the establishment of retirement village in Malaysia (AbdHamid et al., 2021). As a result, this has cause problems not just to the authorities but also the operators or developers who might be interested to embark with this kind of project. Therefore, this research aims to analyse the concept, and elements of retirement village in Malaysian legal landscape shall be analysed through a qualitative legal study, utilising doctrinal research and content analysis. Analysis is drawn from data gathered from international and local literature. Practices and legal framework of other jurisdictions are analysed to learn lessons from the countries which already have well-established legal framework on retirement village. Having a proper legal guideline on this shall improve the well-being and quality of life of Malaysian senior citizens in line with Sustainable Development Goals particularly on Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing), Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and others on Societal Harmony and Happiness. This legal framework shall be helpful to the authority, government agencies, community and operators of retirement village in Malaysia.
Abdullah, M. N., Alias, F., HUssin, S., & Hashim, H. (2019). Menempatkan Warga Emas di Pusat Penjagaan oleh Waris: Analisis daripada Perspektif Hak, Tanggungjawab dan Hukum. Persidangan Industri Warga Emas Kebangsaan: Menuju Pengurusan Patuh Syariah, 146–152.
Ab Hamid, N. A., Othman, N., Salam, N. Z. M. A., Abd Rahman, S. H., Nor, M. F. M., & Khan, M. N. (2023). Issues and challenges of population aging: Studying from Japan super-aging nation and Malaysia perspectives. Journal for ReAttach Therapy and Developmental Diversities, 6(3s), 541-548.
Ab Hamid, N. A., Othman, N., Salam, N. Z. M. A., Abd Rahman, S. H., Nor, M. F. M., & Khan, M. N. (2021). Sustainable Retirement Village: A Segment Ofexisting Legal Provisions In Malaysia. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative Inquiry, 12(6), 9505-9511.
Abu Bakar, S., Abd Majid, M., Abdul Razak, A. Z., & Ismail, S. (2016). Faktor Pemilihan Pondok oleh Warga Emas: Kajian di Pondok Yayasan Al-Jenderami, Selangor dan Pondok Madrasah Ar-Rahmaniah Ad-Diniah Lubuk Tapah, Kelantan. JURNAL PENGAJIAN ISLAM, 9(II), 1–23.
Ahmad, M. H., Baharuddin, A. S., Wan Ismail, W. A. F., Nik Saleh, N. S. S., & Abdul Shukor, S. (2019). Solusi bagi Sindrom “Empty-Nest” Dalam Kalangan Warga Emas di Malaysia dari Perspektif Syariah. Persidangan Industri Warga Emas Peringkat Kebangsaan: Menuju Pengurusan Patuh Syariah 2019, 165–176.
BERNAMA. (2021). Retirement villages to be built on PR1MA’s land. https://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=1924795https://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=1924795
Ejau, R. L., Julaihi, F. A., Amat Rais, S. L., Mohamad Bohari, A. A. (2021), Exploring the Sustainable Retirement Village Concept in the Malaysian Context: An Initial Review. International Journal of Service Management and Sustainability, 6(1), 21-34
Government of Western Australia. (2019). Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement 1?;Stage Two of proposed reforms to Retirement Villages Legislation in Western Australia (Issue August).
Graycar, A. (1986). Ministerial statement on retirement villages and Southern Regional Geriatric and Rehabilitation Advisory Committee Planning policy guidelines on aged accommodation. Flinders University.
Ismail, H., Nordin. M. S. A.,Muhamad Halil, F., Abdul Khalid, N. H., (2023) THE ELDERLY QUALITY OF LIFE (E-QoL) AND RETIREMENT VILLAGE PREFERRED FEATURES BY MALAYSIAN GENERATION. Journal of the Malaysian Institute of Planners, 21(2),198-212.
Hassan, N., & Jiaqi, T. (2017). PREFERENCE FOR PURPOSE BUILT RETIREMENT NEIGHBOURHOOD AMONG THE CHINESE ELDERLY IN SMALL TOWNS IN MALAYSIA. Journal of the Malaysian Institute of Planners, 15(3), 179–192.
Hu, X., Xia, B., Skitmore, M., Buys, L., & Zuo, J. (2017). Retirement villages in Australia: A literature review. Pacific Rim Property Research Journal, 23(1), 101–122. https://doi.org/10.1080/14445921.2017.1298949
Jumadi, N., Mat Noor, N. A., & Bujang, A. A. (2019). Active Ageing and Housing Environment Concept Among Elderly Muslims. Journal of the Malaysian Institute of Planners, 17(1), 305–318.
Kamal, A., Sulaiman@Mohamad, A. A., & Mohammad, M. T. (2019). Sumber Pembiayaan Institusi Warga Emas Di Antara Darul Ilmi Dan Darul Insyirah. Persidangan Industri Warga Emas Peringkat Kebangsaan: Menuju Pengurusan Patuh Syariah 2019, 5–15.
Keogh, J., & Bradley, P. (2002). The Potential for Contractual Disputes in Retirement Village Living. PACIFIC RIM REAL ESTATE SOCIETY 8TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE.
King Wai, W. (2016). Aged Care and Retirement Communities Need Malaysia. EdgeProp.My. https://www.edgeprop.my/content/802610/aged-care-and-retirement-communities-need-rethink-malaysia
Levine, P. (2015). Security of Tenure for Retirement Village Residents in WA: Does the Law Walk the Walk or Just Talk the Talk. UW Austl. L. Rev., 436–462. https://heinonline.org/hol-cgi-bin/get_pdf.cgi?handle=hein.journals/uwatlw40§ion=20
Lim, X. J., Ng, S. I., & Basha, N. K. (2019). To Retire or not to Retire: Intention towards Concept of Retirement Village in Malaysia. Asian Journal of Business Research, 9(1), 60–80. https://doi.org/10.14707/ajbr.190056
Lundman, R. (2020). A spatio-legal approach to the intermediate housing-with-care solutions for older people: Exploring the adoption of a retirement village concept in Finland. Ageing and Society, 40(9), 1956–1977. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X19000412
Majid, M. A., & Azizmai @ Azmi, M. A. W. (2018). Program Pendidikan dan Pendekatan Pengajaran Warga Emas di Institusi Pondok?: Kajian di Pondok Al-Rahmaniah, Kedah. 4th International Conference on Islamiiyyat Studies 2018, September 2018.
Marenbon, M., Researcher, S., & Commission, L. (2016). Confidence and supply?: do retirement village leaseholders need more protection from event fees?? Eld LJ, 74–80.
Mariam, A. M; Sahlawati, A. B.; Safinah, I. & Zabidi, A. R. . (2017). Program Pendidikan Warga Emas Di Institusi Pondok al-Jenderami Negeri Selangor. Jurnal Hal Ehwal Islam Dan Warisan Selangor, 1(1), 1–13.
Osei-kyei, R., Chan, A. P. C., & Trinh, M. T. (2019). Retirement Village Development for the Elderly: applying the concept of Public-Private Partnership. Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, August. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5
Osei-Kyei, R., Wuni, I. Y., Xia, B., & Minh, T. T. (2020). Research Trend on Retirement Village Development for the Elderly: A Scientometric Analysis. Journal of Aging and Environment, 34(4), 402–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/26892618.2019.1707738
Peraktoday.com. (2019). Kampung Persaraan Di Ulu Slim Digelar Mini Fukuoka. Peraktoday.Com. https://peraktoday.com.my/2019/12/kampung-persaraan-di-ulu-slim-digelar-mini-fukuoka/
Safinah, I., Sahlawati, A. B., Mariam, A. M., Ahmad Zabidi, A. R., & Noor Atika Shafinaz, A. N. (2017). Analisis Keperluan Warga Emas Terhadap Pendidikan Pondok: Kajian Di Pondok Rahmaniah Lubuk Tapah. Persidangan Antarabangsa Pengajian Islamiyyat Kali Ke-3 (IRSYAD2017), 3.
Samsudin, S., Abdul Latif, M.R.S., Ngadiman, N., Toyin Jagun, Z., (2023). An Ideal of Retirement Villages Business Model in Malaysia: Analysis of case studies. 11th ABRA International Conference on Environment-Behaviour Studies, 107-113
Sufian, A., & Mohamad, N. A. (2013). “Pondok” System as a Model for Retirement Village in Malaysia: a Legal Perspective. ALAM CIPTA, International Journal of Sustainable Tropical Design Research and Practice, 6(2), 23–37. http://irep.iium.edu.my/34135/
Sulaiman, N., Baldry, D., & Ruddock, L. (2006). Issues Concerning Housing for the Elderly in Malaysia. In 3rd International Built a. Human Environment Research Week.
Victorian Government. (2018). Retirement villages?: good practice to address key issues Contents. file:///C:/Users/ASUS/Downloads/Good practice to address key issues.pdf
Mutalib, M. A. (2025). Toward a Legal Framework for Retirement Villages in Malaysia: A Doctrinal and Comparative Analysis. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 15(9), 413–425.
Copyright: © 2025 The Author(s)
Published by Knowledge Words Publications (www.kwpublications.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
