Twin Tower Residence: 15 Real Concerns Buyers & Tenants Ask — Answered With Data (2026)

If you are searching “is Twin Tower Residence worth it”, you are probably weighing a real decision: renting a home across the Causeway, buying your first JB unit, or adding a rental property next to the RTS Link. This guide takes the 15 concerns we see most often from Singaporeans, Malaysians, foreign investors and tenants, and answers each one with dated, sourced facts. Where there is no official answer yet, we say so plainly.

Quick context: Twin Tower Residence is a freehold serviced residence on Jalan Tengku Azizah, Bukit Chagar, completed in 2023, with 458 units in two 41-storey towers. It sits beside the Bukit Chagar RTS Link station, within walking distance of the JB CIQ and JB Sentral. That location shapes almost every answer below.

Quick verdict table: 15 concerns at a glance

1. “How long will the CIQ crossing really take every day? Can I sustain it?”

Today, road and bus crossings can be slow and unpredictable at peak hours. Twin Tower’s advantage is that you can walk to both the JB CIQ and the future RTS station, so you avoid the drive and parking part of the trip.

The facts: ahead of Deepavali 2026, ICA warned that motorists could wait up to three hours at peak, and the land checkpoints set a daily record of more than 599,000 travellers on 4 Sep 2026 (HRO, 4 Nov 2026). NST reported in March 2026 that commuters set aside 1.5–3 hours for crossings. There is no official “door-to-door” figure, because it depends on your mode, time and where you work in Singapore.

What it means for Twin Tower: many residents here cross on foot or by bus from the JB CIQ today, and from early 2027 they will be able to use the RTS station next door. Removing the car, the jam to the checkpoint and the hunt for parking is exactly what makes a walk-up location valuable.

2. “When will the RTS actually open? Will it be delayed again?”

The official target is February 2027. It depends on the operator getting independent safety certification and final approvals, so treat it as a target, not a promise.

On 2 Oct 2026, Singapore’s LTA and Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport said passenger service is targeted for February 2027. Infrastructure is described as substantially complete, and system tests and trial runs are expected to finish by 31 Dec 2026. No exact opening day has been announced. You can follow each milestone on our RTS Link progress tracker.

What it means for Twin Tower: the building is already standing and lived in, so your home does not depend on a construction schedule. Only the RTS start date is still moving, and the remaining steps are about testing and approvals rather than building.

3. “How much will the RTS fare be? Is there a monthly pass?”

No official fare has been announced. Fares will be announced jointly by Malaysia and Singapore, expected by the end of 2026.

The only figure in public is a reported expected range, not an official fare: Carz.com.my (23 Feb 2026) reported Transport Minister Anthony Loke as saying fares are expected to be about S$5–7 per trip (around RM15–22). On 20 Oct 2026 Malay Mail reported him saying fares should be announced by year-end, jointly with the Singapore side, because it is a bilateral project. No monthly pass scheme has been announced.

A simple budget check, using that reported range only as an illustration: a round trip at S$5–7 each way is S$10–14 a day. Over 22 working days that is roughly S$220–308 a month. Compare that with what you would save on rent, and update the sum once official fares are out.

4. “Will the RTS have enough capacity? What about queues and getting to work in Singapore?”

The RTS is designed for up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, with immigration cleared once at the departure station. Real queue times are unknown until it opens.

According to LTA, the line is about 4 km, the ride is about 5 minutes, and both countries’ checks are done at the departure station (co-located CIQ). Woodlands North connects underground to the Thomson-East Coast Line, which is your onward route into Singapore. Mothership (Oct 2026) reported a planned service of about 6am to midnight with trains as often as every 3.6 minutes. NST noted that the RTS will not remove Causeway congestion on its own, because over 300,000 people cross daily.

On the JB side, the MRT Corp chief executive said (FMT/Bernama, 20 Mar 2026) that more than 250 extra buses are expected by 2027, with a 1,500-bay park-and-ride at Bukit Chagar and bridges planned to KTM and JB Sentral. A RM60m bridge linking the KTM station to the RTS station was approved in August 2026 (Malay Mail).

What it means for Twin Tower: because the building is next to the station, your “last mile” on the JB side is a short walk. Your planning effort goes into the Singapore leg, from Woodlands North to your office.

5. “Is JB oversupplied? Can I resell, and will prices drop?”

Oversupply in Johor is real at state level, and no one can promise future prices. What protects you most is buying the right unit at a price that matches recorded deals, in a completed building with a location that new projects cannot copy.

The wider picture: NAPIC’s Q1 2026 data, as summarised by IQI (17 Jul 2026), shows Johor with 9,972 completed-but-unsold serviced apartments, the highest of any state. Analysts quoted by NST (5 Jan 2026) expect more than 14,000 high-rise units near the RTS corridor to complete in 2029–2030, and say new launches are often priced 40–50% above comparable resale. These are analyst views, not official forecasts.

What the official records show for Twin Tower

There are two official-data views. They cover different things and different periods, so do not mix them up.

Floor and view matter a lot. In 2025 the subsale records show a 1,206 sq ft unit on level 11 at RM893,000 (about RM741 psf) and a 1,033 sq ft unit on level 31 at RM1,200,000 (about RM1,161 psf), only weeks apart. Brickz shows recent deals such as an 872 sq ft unit at RM1,100,000 (RM1,261 psf, Aug 2025) and a 560 sq ft studio at RM780,000 (RM1,393 psf, Jul 2025). Asking prices on portals today sit toward the upper end of these recorded deals, which is why benchmarking matters. See the full list on our recorded transactions page and the trend in our market report.

Twin Tower’s specific strengths in a crowded market: it is completed (no construction risk), freehold, small at 458 units, and directly beside the RTS station. Many of the units due in 2029–2030 will be further from the station.

6. “As a foreigner, can I buy here? What does it cost, and who can I sell to later?”

Foreigners can generally buy units priced at RM1 million or more in Johor. Below RM1m, a foreign owner can only resell to Malaysians, so eligibility depends on the specific unit and price.

The verified rules (as of 9 Nov 2026):

• Threshold: RM1,000,000 for residential property in Johor (NST, 20 Apr 2026). Medini in Iskandar Puteri is exempt, but that does not apply to Bukit Chagar.
• Resale pool: a foreign owner of a sub-RM1m unit can resell only to Malaysians while its value stays below RM1m (NST).
• Exceptions: developers can get special state approval to sell sub-RM1m unsold stock to foreigners; for serviced apartments below RM1m bought from the developer, the approval-fee minimum is RM50,000 (PTG Johor Circular 1/2025, via L&Co and HHQ). MM2H Silver tier holders may buy from RM600,000 with a 10-year holding period (NST).
• State approval fee (from 1 Jul 2025): subsale 3% of the JPPH valuation or SPA price, minimum RM30,000.
• Stamp duty: a flat 8% for foreign buyers on residential transfers from 1 Jan 2026 (The Star, 23 Dec 2025).

A worked example for a 2-bedroom subsale at RM1,100,000 (the Brickz median price): stamp duty 8% = RM88,000; approval fee 3% = RM33,000. That is about RM121,000 before legal fees, compared with a Malaysian buyer who pays the tiered rate. Recorded studio deals (RM688,000–RM780,000) fall below the threshold, so a foreigner would generally look at 2-bedroom and larger units here. Try our foreigner eligibility checker, and confirm the final figures with a Johor conveyancing lawyer.

7. “Can I legally live in JB long-term as a non-Malaysian?”

Owning or renting a home does not by itself give you the right to live in Malaysia. Singaporeans can enter visa-free for up to 30 days; longer stays need a proper pass, and the official source is the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM).

What the official sources say: Singapore’s MFA states that Singaporeans do not need a visa for visits of up to 30 days, and that working in Malaysia needs prior approval. Long-stay options include MM2H; Skrine (4 Aug 2025) lists fixed-deposit requirements of US$150,000, US$500,000 and US$1 million for the Silver, Gold and Platinum tiers. The MM2H SEZ/SFZ category is tied to buying property in Forest City, so it is not a route for Bukit Chagar. Singapore PRs need a valid Re-Entry Permit whenever they leave Singapore (ICA).

We found no official statement on living in JB on repeated visa-free entries while commuting daily, so we do not give advice on that. Please check your own situation with JIM before you move.

8. “Will I find tenants after the RTS opens? What yield can I expect?”

Twin Tower already has an active rental market, and asking rents point to a gross yield of roughly 3.5%–4.0% on recorded prices. Post-RTS rents are not yet known, and new supply could add competition.

Mudah.my showed 54 rental listings for the building on 9 Nov 2026 (posted 8 Sep–9 Nov 2026):

Yield arithmetic (gross, before costs): a 2-bedroom at RM3,300 x 12 = RM39,600 a year; divided by RM1,100,000 = 3.6%. A studio at RM2,300 x 12 = RM27,600; divided by RM688,000–RM780,000 = 3.5%–4.0%. After a maintenance fee of about RM344 a month for 882 sq ft (at RM0.39 psf), the 2-bedroom drops to about 3.2%, before quit rent, assessment, insurance, furnishing, vacancy and income tax. For context, an analyst quoted by NST (5 Jan 2026) put typical JB serviced-apartment gross yields at 2–4%, up to 5% for well-managed prime units, and warned rents may face pressure when supply peaks.

The demand side: NST (30 Mar 2026) reported that over one million Malaysians work in Singapore, 300,000–400,000 of them commuting daily. For tenants, a 2-bedroom at RM3,300 is about S$1,040 a month at RM3.1688 per S$1 (BNM, 6 Nov 2026). Compare options on our JB vs Singapore rent comparison.

9. “Is JB city centre safe?”

Johor’s recorded index crime rose slightly in 2025 while the case-solving rate improved; nationally, index crime fell. There is no official figure for Bukit Chagar alone.

Johor police reported 5,021 index crime cases from 1 Jan to about 1 Dec 2025, up 113 cases (2.32%) on 2024, with the resolution rate rising to 66.02% (The Star, 29 Dec 2025). Nationally, the Inspector-General of Police reported a 6.4% fall in index crime between March 2025 and March 2026 (The Star, 26 Mar 2026).

For Twin Tower, portals list 24-hour security, and the walk to the CIQ and JB Sentral is through a busy city-centre area. Keep bags on the side away from the road, do not leave valuables in a car, and walk the route yourself at night before deciding.

10. “What if the ringgit moves against me?”

Exchange-rate risk is real and works in both directions. No one can forecast it, so the safest approach is to understand your exposure.

The ringgit reached 3.0615 per Singapore dollar on 18 Mar 2026, its strongest since March 2021 (The Star/Bloomberg). Bank Negara’s middle rate on 6 Nov 2026 was RM3.1688 per S$1. For a Singapore-dollar earner renting in JB, a stronger ringgit makes rent cost more in SGD; for an investor, it raises the SGD value of the property and rent. If your income is in SGD and your loan is in MYR, or the other way round, you carry a currency mismatch.

11. “How do I know the building is well run? What are the maintenance fee and sinking fund?”

Current sale listings show a maintenance fee of roughly RM0.38–0.40 psf per month (about RM210–350 a month for a studio to a 2-bedroom). Confirm the current rate and the sinking fund with management, and check the documents below for any building you consider.

Strata buildings in Malaysia are governed by the Strata Management Act 2013, through a joint management body (JMB) or management corporation (MC), with the state building regulator (COB) overseeing them (Low & Partners explainer). Twin Tower is titled as a serviced residence (PropertyGuru); we did not find an official source on how utility tariffs apply to this class, so ask the seller for recent electricity, water, assessment (cukai pintu) and quit rent (cukai tanah) bills.

A practical checklist for any strata building: the latest audited accounts and sinking-fund balance; the most recent AGM minutes; the house rules; the level of arrears; and a visit at different times of day to see the lifts, pool, gym and car park in use. Our guide maintenance fee and sinking fund explained goes through each item.

12. “Does the area flood? Are water cuts common?”

JB city has had flash floods after heavy rain, and Johor has scheduled water disruptions from time to time. For a high-rise unit, the practical checks are access roads, the car park and water storage.

On 30 Sep 2026, flash floods hit several JB areas after heavy rain, including Jalan Wong Ah Fook and the Skudai Highway towards the city centre; the report did not mention Bukit Chagar, JB Sentral or the CIQ (The Star). There is no official building-level flood data. On water, Ranhill SAJ scheduled a 23-hour disruption on 21–22 Apr 2026 for maintenance at the Sungai Johor treatment plant, with listed localities including Skudai, Tiram, Bukit Indah and Iskandar Puteri, and said home tanks typically last up to 24 hours (FMT, 15 Apr 2026). The February 2026 rotation schedules applied to Kluang and Pontian, not JB city (The Star, 15 Feb 2026).

13. “How much tax will I pay when I sell (RPGT)?”

Foreigners pay 30% RPGT on the gain if they sell within 5 years, and 10% from the 6th year. Malaysian citizens and PRs pay nothing from the 6th year.

Source: LHDN (accessed 9 Nov 2026). As an illustration only: on a RM100,000 chargeable gain, a foreign seller would pay RM30,000 in year 4 but RM10,000 in year 6. For foreigners especially, this rewards a long holding plan.

14. “Can foreigners get a Malaysian loan? Can I use CPF or move money from China?”

CPF savings cannot be used for property outside Singapore. Malaysian banks do lend to some foreigners, but margins and conditions vary by bank, so there is no single official figure.

The CPF Board states that CPF can only be used for property in Singapore. For mainland Chinese buyers, SAFE has stated that the US$50,000 annual personal FX purchase quota cannot be used to buy property overseas (Daily Economic News, 3 Jan 2017). For loan margins, one Chinese-language guide (Stacked Homes, 1 Jun 2024) says foreigner margins may be as low as 60%, but this varies, so ask two or three banks for pre-approval before paying any deposit. You can model monthly instalments with our Twin Tower home loan calculator.

15. “Can I Airbnb my unit? Are short stays allowed?”

The federal rules on short-term rentals are still being finalised, and no Johor-specific rules were found as of 9 Nov 2026. In any strata building, the building’s own by-laws and house rules apply.

The Deputy Housing Minister told Parliament that the short-term rental accommodation (STRA) guidelines are being finalised before going to Cabinet, then to the National Council for Local Government and the states; strata buildings remain subject to JMB/MC decisions, and a 180-night cap is being assessed (The Star, 26 Oct 2026). A plan for operators to be licensed through local authorities was announced in August 2025. For Twin Tower, read the house rules, ask management about any short-stay by-laws, and check with the local council (MBJB).

Checklist before you commit

1. Trial the commute for a week at your real hours, then re-check once the RTS opens.
2. Note the official RTS opening date and fares when announced; do not rely on older articles.
3. Benchmark the unit against recorded deals (Brickz and NAPIC/JPPH subsale) on a similar floor, size and facing.
4. If you are a foreigner, confirm the unit’s price against the RM1m threshold, and budget for 8% stamp duty and the state approval fee.
5. Check your long-stay plan with Malaysian Immigration (JIM); PRs should keep their Re-Entry Permit valid.
6. Work out the yield after maintenance fee, quit rent, assessment, insurance, furnishing and some vacancy.
7. Ask for audited accounts, the sinking-fund balance, AGM minutes, house rules and short-stay by-laws.
8. Ask for recent utility, assessment and quit rent bills.
9. Visit by day and at night; check noise by floor and facing, the access roads and the car park.
10. Get loan pre-approval and plan your funds transfer (CPF cannot be used).
11. Stress-test your budget at different exchange rates and plan for a holding period of 6 years or more to reduce RPGT.
12. Have a Johor conveyancing lawyer confirm all current fees and rules before signing.

Conclusion: is Twin Tower Residence worth it?

For the right buyer or tenant, Twin Tower offers something few JB projects can: a completed, freehold home right beside the Bukit Chagar RTS station, within walking distance of the CIQ and JB Sentral, with an active rental market already in place. The honest risks are rising supply along the corridor, an RTS date and fare that are not yet final, exchange-rate swings, and foreigner rules that make some units ineligible. None of these is hidden, and each can be checked before you commit. If you want help comparing a unit with recorded deals or checking whether you can buy it, WhatsApp Darren. You can also browse current units on our listings page.

Sources

• LTA & MOT Malaysia joint release: RTS Link service targeted for February 2027 (2 Oct 2026)
• LTA: Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link project page (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• Mothership: RTS Link delay explainer (Oct 2026)
• Malay Mail: RTS Link fares expected by year-end, says Transport Minister (20 Oct 2026)
• Carz.com.my: RTS Link fare expected at RM15 to RM22 per trip (23 Feb 2026)
• The Star: RTS fare and opening date to be announced jointly (18 Aug 2026)
• FMT/Bernama: buses and parking being prepared for the RTS (20 Mar 2026)
• Malay Mail: RM60m bridge linking KTM Komuter and the RTS station approved (18 Aug 2026)
• HRO: ICA Deepavali 2026 checkpoint traffic advisory (4 Nov 2026)
• EdgeProp: Where should you rent in Johor Bahru if you work in Singapore? (13 Oct 2026)
• Brickz.my: Twin Tower Residence (Pangsapuri Duo) recorded transactions (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• list.my: Twin Tower Residence subsale records, NAPIC/JPPH data (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• Mudah.my: Twin Tower Residence rental listings (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• IQI: NAPIC Q1 2026 property overhang summary (17 Jul 2026)
• NST: RTS, JS-SEZ fuel Johor property boom but oversupply risks loom (5 Jan 2026)
• NST: RTS Link set to trigger “rent shift” (30 Mar 2026)
• NST: Foreigners hit Johor property resale wall (20 Apr 2026)
• L&Co: Johor foreigner property approval fees, PTG Johor Circular 1/2025 (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• Halim Hong & Quek: Johor’s legal and tax framework for foreign acquisitions (6 Oct 2025)
• The Star: The Malaysian tax landscape in 2026 (23 Dec 2025)
• Singapore MFA: Malaysia travel page (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• Skrine: MM2H 3.0 gaining traction (4 Aug 2025)
• MM2H official site: SEZ/SFZ category (last updated 10 Feb 2026)
• ICA via ask.gov.sg: Re-Entry Permit for Singapore PRs (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• The Star: Joint efforts help solve Johor crimes (29 Dec 2025)
• The Star: Malaysia sees 6.4% drop in index crime (26 Mar 2026)
• The Star/Bloomberg: Ringgit hits strongest level versus Singapore dollar since 2021 (18 Mar 2026)
• Bank Negara Malaysia: exchange rates (middle rate, 6 Nov 2026)
• PropertyGuru listing showing maintenance fee, studio (accessed Nov 2026)
• PropertyGuru listing showing maintenance fee, 863 sq ft (accessed Nov 2026)
• PropertyGuru: Twin Tower Residence project page (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• Low & Partners: Strata Management Act 2013 explainer
• The Star: Several areas in JB hit by flash floods (30 Sep 2026)
• FMT: 23-hour water disruption for JB, Kota Tinggi and Pontian (15 Apr 2026)
• The Star: Kluang, Pontian water schedule as Machap Dam levels drop (15 Feb 2026)
• LHDN: Real Property Gains Tax rates (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• CPF Board via ask.gov.sg: using CPF for overseas property (accessed 9 Nov 2026)
• 每日经济新闻: SAFE rules on the personal FX quota and overseas property (3 Jan 2017)
• Stacked Homes (中文): 7 things to know before buying JB property (1 Jun 2024)
• The Star: Guidelines to regulate short-term rental accommodation being finalised (26 Oct 2026)
• The Star: STRA operators need to obtain licences soon (6 Aug 2025)