Purchasing land on Lombok

Hi, my name is Helen Marshall and my husband and I are seriously thinking about purchasing some land in Lombok. My daughter is a bit worried because she has heard that the Indonesians are thinking of introducing "Sharia Law". We have had to sack a few staff here for theft, but besides that we have had no problems. We are currently living in Jakarta (2 houses down from a Mosque and we haven't cut the microphone cord yet!).
A friend of a friend purchased land on Lombok a few years ago and has lost her money. We are OK as far as solicitors, as my husbands Company use good ones in Jakarta but I do have a few questions.What is the grocery shopping like? Could we purchase the essentials like toothpaste etc. Is there Australian meat available? Is it hard to obtain building permits for a home? Also, could I run my small business from home? I am in the process of registering in Jakarta.
I'm possibly just a bit nervous as wherever we purchase our land is where we will retire and we can't afford to lose our money.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Helen

Hi Helen,
Well you live in Indonesia, so probably are better at understanding the situation with "Sharia" than your daughter. My personal opinion is that there would have to be a radical change in Indonesia for that to happen, including pretty much chucking out the current constitution and laws of the land. I seriously doubt it would ever happen unless there was some sort of massive upheaval, in which case Sharia law is the least of your worries.

As to living in Lombok, in the last 5 years it has moved ahead greatly. Where-as a few years ago there were only a few expats living in Lombok, now there are probably a few thousand. With that comes better access to those home comforts. Yes, you can buy toothpaste, although funnily enough, I actually buy toothpaste in Lombok to take home with me to Australia because I so like the brand and can't get it in Oz.

Yes, you can buy Australian cryvact meat. It's expensive, but you would expect that. Most of the good restaurants use Australian meat for steaks etc.

It also depends on where you are thinking of living. If in the Senggigi area, then you have access to more facilities and entertainment. There is 'the hill' where land can still be purchased and a nice villa built overlooking Senggigi bay. Then there is Green Valley which has lots of houses and is a popular place for expats to live. If you are not into living next door to other expats there are lots of choices, so depends on what you are after. Land in Lombok is becoming increasingly expensive though.

Personally I still like to get fruit and vegetables direct from the local markets. The one near Senggigi is Kobanroik. I don't eat red meat in Lombok unless it is a very expensive steak from Australia, so that is not often. You can also still get kampong chicken from the market if you go early, which is absolutely the best chicken you will ever eat. There is a big supermarket at the Mataram Mall which sells just about everything else. When furnishing your home you will probably want to go to Bali for homewares as Lombok still has a long way to go for those sort of things. Also clothing and shoes can be harder to get in Lombok, especially western sizes/styles.

Lombok still has massive power and water issues that are far from being resolved. The power goes out just about every day so you need a good generator to make your own. Solar is another good option for your house. Also, medical facilities are not what you are used to in Jakarta. If you are considering retiring you need to have good insurance that includes medivac out to Singapore or Australia if needed. Also remember that Lombok is a dengue and malaria area.

If you are purchasing land be very careful about who becomes your nominee. You really are putting a hell of a lot of trust in someone. Doesn't matter what anyone says, under the law you can't own land. If your nominee wants to get mean, they can and will take everything. The law is on their side, doesn't matter what you have drawn up over the land transaction, the bottom line is you can't own it. It is not freehold as we understand it in the West, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise (or you may be very, very sorry later)

I can't comment much on building permits, I haven't built. My husband has but he's a local. There can be a problem with power metres though. There are houses built on Lombok by expats that are waiting for power > 2 years after being completed. The trick is to find out about these things before building/buying. You can apply for a metre as soon as you purchase land as long as there is somewhere for the meter to be installed. A simple beruga (bale) is all you need. Also water can be an issue. You are not guranteed of town water, so make sure you have or can put in a working well on any land you buy.

Also can't comment on operating your business. Not sure what you are asking. You should have your visa situation sorted if you are already in Indonesia. If you need internet, then you should make sure you have a phone line and use Telkom speedy for the most reliable, cost efficient service.

As with anyone considering living in Lombok, and especially investing their retirement savings in the place, I strongly recommend you spend at least 6 months renting and having a good look around and get to know the place to see if it's really for you.

P.S. Welcome to Lombok Lovers

Hi Freogirl,
Thankyou for the imformation.
My daughter read about the Shariya law in the Jakarta Post. She lives in Jakarta with us. She is currently dating a Muslim boy and reading the wall has been interesting.
We must have been neighbours in Perth as we come from Bicton and were always in Fremantle! The "land on the hill" is what I have been looking at. Up to a week ago, we were looking in Bali but after our last trip there in July we have become a bit put off because of all the traffic and the density of the housing!
I understand what you mean about never really owning your own property as we have come across this problem in Jakarta. I think that you are right and maybe we should rent for awhile.
Do you know where the Dubai Company purchased their land? What do you think about the Kuta, Lombok area?
Do you get a good breeze on Lombok? Strange question I know, but the heat here is getting on my nerves!
Thanks for all of your help.
Best wishes Helen

We have been waiting for a elec. meter over 1 yr. with no end in sight. The news says there should be more power supply next year so i hope that will help out. We can buy an already existing meter from someone and transfer it to our land but that is more expensive.

It is my understanding Emaar/Dubai backed out of their deal and owns no land. The location was a few kilometers east of Kuta. Nothing in that imediate area but some local houses. Novotel hotel is less than 1 kilometer from the location.

Ofcourse wind varies but there is usually at least a breeze. I think lombok is cooler than Bali and Kuta Lombok is generally less humid.

One thing I think Bali has over Lombok is control over motor bike noise. It seems Bali doesn't have the problem of modified motor bike mufflers that Lombok has. It is totally out of control in kuta. The police do nothing about it and there may not even be a law against it. It may sound petty but it really is a major annoyance.

Modified mufflers are as common in Bali as Lombok..... I know several people with them and you hear them all the time. Maybe the percentage of bikes modified in Bali is less but there are still plenty of young guns who think nosier is better!

Modified mufflers seems the latest craze amongst the young guys at the moment, but mostly I find the noise from motorbikes far worse in Bali than Lombok due to the sheer numbers. There was a letter in the Lombok paper last month from Glenn & Dee at the Beach Club about motorbike noise, with a follow up letter the next edition backing up that complaint and specifically mentioning the issue with modified mufflers. One night when I was staying in Batu Bolong, some guy spent about 2 hours revving his bike out on the road, taking off and coming back to do it again. I think there is a club nearby and they congregate outside that in the early hours. Either that or they were deliberately doing it outside the hotels to piss people off.

The land I plan to build on is beachfront and we plan to use the far corner of the land (it's over a hectare) and put in a private driveway to avoid having passing traffic.

Helen, yes we would have been neighbours Though I also don't live in Fremantle anymore. If you live near the water in Lombok you will have a breeze. I lived for a while in Mataram and it was very hot. I then moved to Mangsit and it was lovely. We had a really nice breeze most of the time. Of course it also depends on where you are and whether any breeze can get to you.

Last month I saw some bargains to be had for land purchases in Senggigi and also some very overpriced land. I can't recall the name of the agent that had the well priced land, it's the one that does a lot of advertising in the lombok guide and has the most professional shop front on the main street of Senggigi. It was not the one that shares an office with Royal Spa, it was the one next to the big Ole Ole shop. I expect that land might have been snapped up though. I did find prices were all over the place. Some land was 45 Juta per are, next to land asking 100 juta per are. I even saw land asking less than 20 Juta per are. You need to spend some time looking around and getting a feel for the true value of the land. It would be very easy to pay too much with prices so vastly different.

Also, in answer to Kuta Lombok area, personally I like it. It is however quite isolated at the moment. Also land prices skyrocketted on speculation of the Emmar development which now is unlikely to go ahead. But if you are after white sand beaches and are prepared to wait for the facilities to eventually come to you, then it is a lovely spot. The first time I went there and got to the beach I was very much reminded of home, and being a bit homesick at the time, it was lovely. Even the beach smelled like home because of the sea grasses. Sometimes lying on the beach at Mawun I can pretend Im lying on a beach in Perth it is so similar (apart from the hills).

I and my x- husband bought land on Gili Trawangan in 1999, the purchase wasn't a problem as he´s Indonesian.

Building was a different matter. It took lots and lots of planning to get all the material out to the island, first the purchase on Lombok, then transport to Bangsal, hiring porters to load the chartered boat, on Gili Trawangan hiring porters again to carry off the boat and on to our rented cikars. We had 3 different building teams during the 3 months it took us to get the house ready. They simply left when they got homesick and didn't return. Lots of our buildingmaterial was stolen and sold by the building crews. We stayed in a house 150 meters away from the buildingsite and was at the site checking and supervising everyday . There wasn't any language problems or cultural differences as Rony is Sasak but inspite of that so many things went wrong. It's an experience I wouldn't wish anyone to have.
With this I mean to say that I would NEVER build again myself. I would absolut by or rent instead. It's not worth the hazzle and anguish people have to endure.

www.lombokrealestate.com
www.lombok-global.com

I spoke to someone building currently on Gili Air, and it doesn't sound like much has changed in 11 years.

It is a good suggestion to buy an existing house though. There are plenty available. Lots of people buy land and build a house, then realise they don't want to live in Lombok and try to sell the house.

Hi Lombok Lovers,
Thankyou to everyone for your input. It has all been an eye-opener. We will go to Lombok and have a good look around and then decide what is the best course of action for us. I understand everyones frustrations as my husband and I are both dealing in business in Jakarta. (my Company is still in the process of being approved).
Best wishes to all of you and I will continue to read the forum with great interest!
Helen xx