Utilities
Electricity, gas and water – connected is generally a straightforward process. It is common for landlords to keep the utility bills for electricity and water in their own name, so new tenants don’t have to arrange connection to utilities. However, in this case, tenants are required to pay a deposit against unpaid bills.
Gas is often supplied in bottles and is rarely connected to the mains.
The two main companies in KL that can offer you internet, cable TV and phone are Astro www.astro.com.my and
UniFi www.tm.com.my/Home/Pages/Home.aspx
Understanding your Bills
The electricity bill arrives monthly and the gas bill every 2 or 3 months.
The sewage bill every 6 months and water bill is usually monthly, but if you live in an apartment this may be handled by your apartment manager.
Don’t panic when you receive your utility bill and it is in Bahasa Malay. Both the TNB and Gas Malaysia have web sites that explain your bill in English
Electricity – http://www.tnb.com.my/residential/billing/understand-your-bill/current-bill-format.html
Gas – http://www.gasmalaysia.com/services/about_your_bill.php#
For a quick reference here is an explanation of words that appear on bills.
Jumlah Perlu Dibayar – Total Amount Due
Tarikh Akhir Bayaran – Payment Due Date or Bayar Sebelum – Pay before
No. Akaun – Account number No. Bil – Bill number
Jumlah – total Bayaran – payment Amaun – amount
Tarikh – date Semasa – current Dahulu – previous
Utility Bills and the Post Office (POS Malaysia)
Utility bills can be paid at Post Offices – when you go in there is usually a queuing system, you need to take a ticket for the ‘bil-bil sahaja’ queue, which mean ‘bills only’. The other queue is called ‘Pelbagai’ which means ‘various’ so it is for everything else. Just go to the correct counter when your number is announced and/or displayed on the board.
www.pos.com.my
Malaysian Addresses
The correct way to write a Malaysian address is:
Line 1: Recipient’s name
Line 2: House name or number/floor or building name
Line 3: Street or District
Line 4: Postcode and city
Line 5: State
For example:
Customer Care Department
Level 6, Pos Malaysia Headquarters
Dayabumi Complex
50670 Kuala Lumpur
The address should be in the middle of the envelope. For lock bags and PO Boxes, the number of the bag or PO Box should appear before the postcode.