Cover image via 
Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp for the latest stories and breaking news.
If you live in a condo, you may have come across a rule that prohibits you from hanging clothes on your balcony.
But is the act itself actually illegal?
The short answer is no, it's not a criminal offence. You're not breaking the Penal Code and the police are not going to knock on your door because your jeans are sun-drying outside.
But condominiums don't just follow criminal law, it follows strata law, which is the legal framework that governs stratified properties like condos and apartments in Malaysia.
And, under strata law, condos are controlled through by-laws. So while it's not a crime, it can still be a rule breach that management is allowed to act on.
There is a specific written clause that mentions laundry directly. The rule comes from the Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015, which fall under the Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757).
Inside these regulations is the Third Schedule, which contains mandatory by-laws that automatically apply to residential strata buildings across Malaysia.
By-Law 15 of the Third Schedule states that "a proprietor shall not, except with the prior written approval of the management corporation, hang any washing, towel, bedding, clothing or other article on any part of his parcel in such a way as to protrude outside his parcel, other than at the areas designated for such purpose and leave them there only for a reasonable period."
If you're unfamiliar with the terms used, a proprietor is the legal owner of the unit or the tenant, while parcel means the individual unit as defined in the strata plan.
In simple terms, the national strata by-law does not ban hanging laundry on your balcony unless it sticks out beyond your unit's legal boundary line without permission.
But, even though the national by-law focuses on protruding laundry, individual condos are still allowed to pass stricter additional by-laws
For example, some condos ban all visible balcony laundry or require residents to use only designated drying areas. These stricter rules are enforceable if properly adopted and registered. If you breach a by-law, enforcement is handled by the Management Corporation (MC) or Joint Management Body (JMB), not the police.
Management bodies are empowered under the Strata Management Act 2013 to enforce by-laws, and under the Strata Management (Maintenance and Management) Regulations 2015 prescribed by-laws, they may impose fines.
The takeaway here is that while hanging your laundry on your balcony technically complies with national by laws, your specific condo might still prohibit it
Before you set up that drying rack, you might want to double check with your condo's management to make sure you don't land yourself a hefty fine.
