A neighbour is running an Airbnb in your building in Penang: what you can do

The short version

Tell your management office (the JMB, joint management body, or the MC, management corporation: the owners' body that runs your building) in writing first, then complain to your city council: MBPP on the island, MBSP on the mainland. The council can inspect, enter and close an unlicensed short-term rental, and the state says neighbours' complaints are one of the ways it finds them.

A licence is still required and operators still apply to their council: 1 November 2026 was the end of the grace period before enforcement, not a cut-off for applying.

• Island condos and flats: the state says MBPP bars all strata residential homes from short-term rental, so a condo unit let out by the night on the island has no route to a licence (see Can I rent out my condo short-term in Penang?).
• Licence grace period: the grace period before enforcement ended on 1 November 2026. On 3 November Buletin Mutiara reported that by-law amendments are being gazetted and are expected to take effect on 1 January 2027. No public list of licensed homes is published, so you cannot check a neighbour's status online.
• Emergencies: for danger or a crime in progress, use the emergency numbers on Who to call in Penang, not the council.

Step 1: your management office

The MBSP Commissioner of Buildings FAQ (undated) answers a question about an owner whose chickens disturb the peace. It says the JMB or MC must act under the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) and the building's by-laws agreed by owners at an AGM or EGM. It does not mention short-term rental, so use it as a guide to the route, not as a rule for Airbnb.

• Write to the management office. Give dates, times and what you saw or heard, and keep a copy.
• Ask whether the owners have voted on short-term rental. Penang Property Talk, as reposted on Newswav, reports that a building's approval needs a special resolution of at least 75% of valid votes.

Sources: MBSP Commissioner of Buildings FAQ and Penang Property Talk (via Newswav), read 2026-11-03.

Step 2: the council that covers your building

The 2026 by-law lets a council's authorised officer inspect, enter a private accommodation and take the steps needed to close it if the by-law is broken. The state's local government chairman said the councils can trace operators through Agoda, Airbnb and other platforms, and through complaints from neighbours and nearby residents.

Complaints named by the chairman include noise and traffic disturbances, social problems and heavier use of shared facilities in strata properties. From 2020 to March 2026, MBPP received 364 complaints about illegal private lodging and MBSP received 24.

Neither council publishes a line made only for short-term rental complaints, so say it is an unlicensed private accommodation under the 2026 by-law. Neither publishes a line or form for noise from neighbours or guests either; Report a problem in your area lists the general complaint routes. For which council covers you, the online forms and apps, see MBPP or MBSP: which is yours.

Sources: Penang State Gazette, P.U. 37, NST, The Star, MBPP Hotline and MBSP home page, read 2026-11-03.

Step 3: the Commissioner of Buildings

If the management body does nothing, the Commissioner of Buildings (COB) at your council handles complaints about the management of a building's common property. MBPP's COB page lists that duty, the telephone 04-259 2208, and says it acts on a complaint within two working days and replies within three working days.

See Condo and strata living in Penang for the tribunal route if a dispute is about charges or management.

Source: MBPP Jabatan Pesuruhjaya Bangunan, read 2026-11-03.

Related

• Can I rent out my condo short-term in Penang?
• Short-term rental licence in Penang: steps and fees
• Condo and strata living in Penang
• MBPP or MBSP: which is yours