The house journal

Bali · Indonesia

Building and holding in the tropics: Indonesian land law, PT PMA, seismic standards, materials and hospitality — what twelve years of Indian Ocean worksites taught us.

Bali · Indonesia

PBG and SLF: the two documents that make (or break) a Bali villa's value

A Bali villa's charm can be photographed; its value reads in its papers. Since 2021, the PBG-SLF pair conditions the right to build, occupy and operate — separating solid assets from fragile ones.

1 September 20265 min readChecked 1 September 2026

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Bali · Indonesia

Perda 4/2026: Bali locks down productive land — and criminalises the nominee

Having closed the nominee route, Bali closes the converted-rice-field route: Perda 4/2026 turns two grey zones into forbidden ones — demolition and prison attached.

1 September 20264 min readChecked 1 September 2026

Bali · Indonesia

Bali residential in Q2 2026: what Bank Indonesia actually measures

A moderate rise gathering pace, driven by construction costs: Bali's Q2 2026 primary market is read in the central bank's official survey — a thermometer the villa segment too often ignores.

1 September 20263 min readChecked 1 September 2026

Bali · Indonesia

Green zones and the RDTR: the check that comes before any Bali purchase

The view says nothing about the law. Before price, before plans, one question: what does zoning allow? The answer is public, mapped — and it decides everything.

31 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Bali · Indonesia

What owning and letting in Bali really costs: BPHTB, PBB, rental tax

The villa price is only the first line of the bill. Acquisition, holding, rents, corporate structure: four distinct taxes, four statutes, one dashboard.

31 August 20264 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Bali · Indonesia

Renting out a Bali villa in 2026: licence first, platforms second

Bali's holiday-rental regime changed in 2026: platforms now check licences against the national registry, and delist. What compliant operation requires, item by item.

25 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Bali · Indonesia

Nominee deals are closed: the compliant route for foreign investors in Bali

A nominee arrangement was never a structure: it was a wager. In 2026, Bali turned that wager into an offence. What the compliant route — the PT PMA — actually requires.

24 August 20263 min readChecked 31 August 2026

Bali · Indonesia

Leasehold or freehold in Bali: what a foreign investor can actually hold

A foreigner cannot hold freehold title (Hak Milik) in Indonesia: the 1960 Agrarian Law reserves it for Indonesian citizens. Three legal routes exist — Hak Pakai (right of use, up to 80 years), Hak Guna Bangunan held through a PT PMA company, and contractual leasehold (Hak Sewa). Nominee structures are void by law.

16 August 20263 min readChecked 16 August 2026

Bali · Indonesia

Building in the tropics: what earthquakes dictate

Bali is a volcanic island on a subduction zone. You do not build there as you would in Europe: Indonesia's seismic code has tightened, timber comes in strength classes, and the ground always has the last word. A method notebook.

29 January 20263 min readChecked 16 August 2026

Bali · Indonesia

The Indian Ocean, without the brochures: building 9,000 kilometres away

Timber that moves, volcanic stone you learn to cut, craftsmen you cannot replace: building on the Indian Ocean means loving the materials of the place — and being there, often.

14 October 20252 min read