Buying a villa in Lombok from Australia: the ten questions to ask before you pay a cent

1. Who actually owns this land?

Ask for the land certificate and have your lawyer check it at the BPN land office. The name on it should be the seller or the developer company. If the certificate is "in process", ask what the process is, how long it has taken so far, and what you are paying for in the meantime.

2. Can a foreigner hold the title you are being offered?

Foreigners cannot hold Indonesian freehold (SHM). The two legitimate structures are a registered leasehold, or ownership through an Indonesian foreign-investment company (PT PMA) holding a building right (HGB). If someone offers you freehold in your own name, or a local nominee who will "hold it for you", walk away. The Lombok guide explains both structures.

3. Is the land zoned for this?

The PKKPR confirms the permitted use. Coastal land in Indonesia also carries a 100-metre setback from the shoreline. If the glossy render shows villas on the sand, ask how.

4. Is there a building permit?

The PBG is the building approval. Without it the villa is not a legal building, however finished it looks.

5. Which company is on my contract?

Your contract is with the seller or developer named on it. It is not with the agent, and it is not with the marketplace that listed it. Check that company's licences, its directors and its history. Kinnara now runs background checks on every developer before it lists a project; you should do the same.

6. Where does my money sit between payments?

Off-plan villas are paid in stages. Ask who holds each payment, what triggers its release, and whether it sits in escrow. My own rule, set after the failures I describe on the record, is that buyer funds belong with the contracting developer or in escrow, never with the marketing business.

7. What happens at the end of the lease or the HGB term?

For leasehold, read the extension clause and the price mechanism. For HGB, understand the 30-year initial term and the extension and renewal periods. Ask what the developer has done to make renewal routine.

8. Who runs it when I am not there?

A villa in a rental pool is a different asset from a villa you manage yourself. Ask who the operator is, how revenue is split, and how you are paid. At Saraya owners receive 60 per cent of room revenue after booking-platform fees, paid automatically. Whatever the number is, it should be in writing.

9. How do I get there?

Sekotong is 1.5 to 2 hours from Lombok International Airport and 45 minutes from Lembar ferry port. Direct flights now run from Perth and Darwin. It matters for your own visits and for the guests who fund your return.

10. Who is advising me?

An independent Indonesian notary and an independent lawyer, chosen and paid by you. Not the seller's, not the agent's. If a developer discourages you from getting your own advice, that is your answer.

I built a business on bringing Australians to Indonesian property, and I have seen what happens when these questions are skipped. Ask them all.