Agency checks

How to Review a Maid Agency Contract

A working checklist for reading a maid agency contract before you sign it, built from what Malaysian law actually regulates and what’s left for you to pin down yourself.

The short answer

A maid agency contract mixes clauses with a real legal basis, licence category, worker-side fee caps, with clauses that exist purely because a specific agency chose to write them that way, the household service fee, replacement and guarantee terms, timelines. Reading it well means checking the first kind against what the law actually says, and treating the second kind as the only enforceable record of a private promise, since nothing regulates it otherwise. A contract that’s vague on the second kind isn’t illegal; it just leaves you with less to hold the agency to later.

At a glance

Check against the register first
Company name, licence number, categoryConfirm these match JTKSM’s public register before reading anything else; a mismatch or an unlisted licence number is a reason to stop.
What the contract can’t legally exceed
The worker’s registration and placement fee capIf the contract shows a fee charged to the worker beyond the First Schedule’s cap, that’s a legal problem, not a negotiating point.
What needs to be specific, not vague
Household fee, guarantee, timelineNone of these are set by law, so a vague clause here isn’t illegal, it just means the contract itself is the only thing you can hold the agency to.
What isn’t in most contracts
A dedicated complaint clauseJTKSM’s general complaint channels exist independently of the contract; knowing they exist matters more than looking for a specific clause about them.

Start where the law gives you a fixed reference point

Before reading the commercial terms, confirm the contracting company’s exact name, licence number, and category match what JTKSM’s public register shows, and that the licence is active rather than cancelled or suspended. This step has a clear right answer independent of anything the contract itself says.

If the contract mentions a fee charged directly to the worker, check it against the First Schedule’s caps, a registration fee and a placement fee capped at either 25% of the first month’s wage or one month’s wage depending on category. A figure above that isn’t a term to negotiate; it’s a legal problem worth raising before signing anything.

Where the contract itself is the only rulebook

For the household service fee, any replacement or guarantee provision, and the expected timeline, no law sets a floor or a standard, so the contract’s own wording is the only thing that will govern what happens later. A clause that says a replacement is offered "subject to terms" without stating those terms isn’t illegal, but it leaves you nothing specific to point to if a dispute comes up.

Push for exact figures, exact trigger conditions, and exact timeframes in each of these clauses before signing, the same discipline covered in more depth in this site’s guides on questions to ask and on what a guarantee actually means.

If something in the contract looks wrong

A licence category that doesn’t cover foreign domestic worker placement, a worker-side fee above the legal cap, or a licence number that doesn’t match the register are all reasons to pause before signing, not points to negotiate around. JTKSM’s general complaint channels are where a licensing-related concern can be raised, separate from anything the contract itself provides for.

The rules and figures here follow official Malaysian sources as at the review date, and your own situation can differ. Check what applies to your own case with the Immigration Department of Malaysia for permits and passes, or the Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia for agency licensing and employment terms, before you act on it.

Questions this page answers

What’s the first thing to check in a maid agency contract?

The contracting company’s exact name, licence number, and category against JTKSM’s public register, before reading any commercial terms.

Is every vague clause in the contract a red flag?

Not necessarily illegal, since the household fee and guarantee terms aren’t regulated by law. It does mean you should push for specifics before signing, since the contract wording is the only enforceable version of those terms.

What if the contract shows a fee to the worker above the legal cap?

That’s a legal problem, not a negotiating point. Act 246’s First Schedule caps the worker’s registration and placement fee, and exceeding it is an offence for the agency.

Does the contract need a clause about complaints or disputes?

Not necessarily. JTKSM’s general complaint channels exist independently of what any specific contract says, so their absence from the document doesn’t remove that option.

How to Review a Maid Agency Contract

Prepare a useful first enquiry

Add a few key facts about your household and the question you want answered, so the reply is useful.

  • Agency legal name
  • Licence number if supplied
  • Household location
  • Quotation or term to check
  • Question still open

This opens a WhatsApp draft to the DomesticHelper enquiry team, who help connect you with a maid-hiring service. Nothing is sent until you press send, and you can edit it first.

Open WhatsApp draft
DomesticHelper editorial teamReviewed 14 August 2026Sourced from Malaysian government registriesIndependent of the hiring agenciesEditorial standards
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