An Australian buyer asks: 'Can I just buy the villa freehold in my own name?' What is the honest answer?

1. Yes, any foreigner can hold Hak Milik
2. No. Hak Milik freehold is reserved for Indonesian citizens. His options are a leasehold (Hak Sewa), Hak Pakai on a house meeting the minimum price, or a company (PT PMA) holding HGB title
3. Yes, if he marries anyone
4. Only if he pays double BPHTB

A German retiree wants a landed house in Bali under Hak Pakai (right of use). What minimum price applies to foreigners for a landed house in Bali under Kepmen ATR/BPN 1241/2022?

1. IDR 1 billion
2. IDR 2 billion
3. IDR 10 billion
4. IDR 5 billion

How long can Hak Pakai on a residential home last for a foreign owner, counting extensions?

1. Up to 80 years in total (30 + 20 + 30)
2. 10 years, non-renewable
3. Forever, like freehold
4. 25 years, the same as a typical lease

A Dutch couple want a PT PMA so they can 'own' a holiday villa they will rent out a few weeks a year. What do you tell them honestly?

1. A PT PMA is a cheap shell anyone can open online
2. A PT PMA is a real foreign-owned operating company with large capital requirements, licences matching its KBLI code (55193 for commercial villas), tax filings and reporting; Bali officials in 2026 pushed for proof of capital and against virtual offices, so it rarely suits an occasional holiday home
3. A PT PMA lets them hold Hak Milik
4. It needs no Indonesian tax registration

A Russian client says his Balinese driver will put the land in his own name 'for him', backed by a private side agreement. What is your advice?

1. It is standard practice and fully safe
2. It is fine if the agreement is in English
3. Refuse to arrange it: nominee structures give the foreigner no legal protection, and Bali has moved to penalise them, so he risks losing the land and facing liability
4. It is legal if the driver is a relative

What is the first document check before any deposit on a Bali villa or land?

1. Check the land certificate at the local BPN land office: holder's name, title type, size, and any mortgage, block or dispute
2. Ask the seller for a nice photo of the certificate
3. Check the Google reviews of the developer
4. Confirm the villa appears on Airbnb

A plot in Canggu looks perfect, but the client plans short-term rental. Which zoning check matters most?

1. The colour of nearby houses
2. Run a zoning (KKPR) check: tourism zones support full rental licences, residential zones are restricted, and green agricultural zones are blocked for rentals
3. Zoning only matters for hotels over 100 rooms
4. Zoning can be changed by the seller

An older villa for sale only has an IMB building permit from 2015. What do you tell the buyer who wants to rent it out?

1. The IMB is enough forever
2. Permits are not needed for villas
3. Only new villas need permits
4. The IMB must be converted to a PBG with an SLF (certificate of functional worthiness) before a rental licence can be obtained or renewed, so factor the cost and time into the offer

A cheap plot near Uluwatu is reached only by a footpath across a neighbour's land. What is the right advice?

1. Buy now, the neighbour will surely agree later
2. Access does not matter for villa value
3. Make legal road access a condition: get a registered right of way or buy the access strip, because a land-locked plot can be impossible to build, license or resell
4. Use a helicopter pad instead

The land offered is Balinese family land inherited by four siblings, but only the eldest brother is negotiating. What should you require?

1. Nothing, the eldest brother decides
2. Proof that every registered holder or heir consents and signs before the notary (and spouses where required), otherwise the deal can be challenged later
3. Just a verbal yes from the parents
4. A higher deposit to compensate

A Middle Eastern investor wants a villa purchase to give him Indonesia's golden visa. What is correct?

1. Any villa above USD 300,000 qualifies
2. Golden visa holders can own Hak Milik
3. A villa on leased land does not directly qualify; individual routes are mainly USD 350,000 (5 years) or USD 700,000 (10 years) in bonds, shares or funds, so refer him to an immigration specialist
4. The golden visa is only for Indonesians

A French buyer reads that a lease has 'an extension option'. Which clause protects him best?

1. An extension at a fixed or inflation-indexed price written into the lease, plus an assignment clause allowing him to transfer the lease
2. An extension 'at a price to be agreed with the landowner'
3. A verbal promise from the landowner's son
4. No clause, because extensions are automatic

A buyer from Jakarta asks how her purchase differs from a foreigner's. What do you explain?

1. She must use a leasehold like foreigners
2. As an Indonesian citizen she can hold freehold Hak Milik, pays 5% BPHTB after the local NPOPTKP on a first acquisition, and the seller pays the 2.5% final tax
3. She pays no tax at all
4. She needs a PT PMA

You organise a viewing trip for a British client. What should he know about the Bali tourist levy?

1. It is paid per day of stay
2. It is IDR 1.5 million
3. It is optional for property buyers
4. It is IDR 150,000 per foreign visitor per visit, paid on the official LoveBali portal (lovebali.baliprov.go.id) or at the airport, with KITAS and KITAP holders exempt

A buyer in Melbourne wants to buy without travelling. What is the safest way to handle a remote purchase?

1. Send the full price to the seller's personal account to secure it
2. Pay through the notary's process only after title, zoning and permits are verified, and sign through a properly prepared power of attorney or in person at a later visit, with an independent lawyer reviewing everything
3. Let the agent sign everything with no written mandate
4. Pay in cash through a friend

An off-plan developer offers a '15% guaranteed ROI' and asks for a deposit to a personal account before showing the land certificate. How do you react?

1. Pay quickly to get the early-bird price
2. Ask only for a discount
3. Treat it as a red flag: refuse payment before a BPN certificate check, zoning and permit review, and compare the promise with real benchmarks (about 57% average occupancy on AirDNA)
4. Guaranteed returns are protected by law in Bali

Immigration deported 342 foreigners in Bali from January to June 2026. What were the most common violations?

1. Speeding
2. Buying leasehold villas
3. Paying the tourist levy late
4. Misuse of residence permits and overstays

After the sale, your client asks if he can rent the villa out under his own name on booking platforms. What is correct in 2026?

1. Yes, any individual can list a villa
2. Short-term rental counts as a commercial activity, so it must run through a registered entity (his PT PMA or a licensed management company acting as operator), and unlicensed listings risk being removed
3. Yes, if he pays the tourist levy
4. Only Russians are restricted

What should a good villa management contract include for an overseas owner?

1. Only the cleaning schedule
2. A promise of 90% occupancy
3. Clear fees (management usually takes a percentage of gross revenue), monthly statements, responsibility for licences, the 10% hotel tax and the 10% rental income tax where relevant, maintenance budgets and an exit clause
4. Nothing, a handshake is normal in Bali

A client compares two leasehold villas at the same price: one with 28 years left, one with 13 years. How do you explain the difference honestly?

1. They are the same value because the price is the same
2. Leasehold value follows an S-curve: it falls slowly at first and faster after about year 15, so the 13 year lease should trade at a real discount (often 20% to 30%) unless it has a locked extension
3. The shorter lease is better because it is newer
4. Remaining years only matter for freehold