This article first appeared in City & Country, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on November 3, 2025 - November 9, 2025

Zerin Properties Group has partnered with UK-based real estate advisory firm Palmer Tabor Properties (PTP) to provide Malaysian investors — ranging from family offices to institutional funds and private investors — with a seamless pathway to opportunities in the UK and Australian property markets.

“We’ve seen Malaysians export capital for a long, long time, whether it’s Australia, the UK or broader Europe. We wanted to help future-proof Malaysian capital and [those investing in the international market]. You can’t just go in without the local knowledge of the laws and development risk,” says Zerin Properties founder and group CEO Previndran Singhe.

Founded in 2020, PTP provides Asian-based private investors with end-to-end services such as asset sourcing, acquisitions, development, asset management, planning, leasing, finance structuring and disposals. Now expanding its presence in the Australian market, it is in the midst of acquiring its first property in Sydney.

PTP director Jack Palmer says: “It plays into our strategy of focusing on working with both private and institutional capital based in Asia-Pacific that wants exposure to the UK and Australia.”

Previndran says this partnership will help address obstacles that Malaysian investors commonly face when venturing overseas, including a lack of market knowledge, limited understanding of regulatory and financial nuances and finding a trusted overseas partner.

He recalls a friend’s challenging experience investing in the London property market. The friend thought he was buying into a Central London development, but with no one overseeing the process locally, questions quickly arose about whether approvals could be secured and how long they would take.

There were technical hurdles, too. He had expected to secure commercial space on the ground floor of a residential building, only to learn the area was zoned exclusively for residential use, with no commercial allocation.

Palmer explains that international investors often face credibility challenges, particularly when they are new to a market. Domestic sellers tend to view overseas buyers as “a potential risk in terms of performance, especially if those investors have never purchased anything in that country before”.

Because of this perception, he adds, international buyers often have to pay more during a bidding process to offset the perceived risk or to account for the value of the risk that sellers are taking. “We’ve seen in the past that international investors sometimes end up paying slightly more because of the additional risk the seller assumes,” says Palmer.

This is where PTP comes in — to enhance investor credibility and connect investors with quality assets. Palmer says the firm’s proven track record as an investment and asset manager helps “mitigate both issues”. He explains that PTP focuses on avoiding overpayment and securing access to properties on equal terms with domestic buyers. “Most of the time, we target off-market assets to avoid competitive bidding situations — and that’s something we place strong emphasis on.”

On the investment front, Previndran notes that Malaysian investors can tap into opportunities across core office assets, build-to-rent residential developments and purpose-built student accommodation.

“Australia offers a unique opportunity for core office assets,” he says. “But the residential build-to-rent segment is definitely also one to watch. It’s strongly supported by investors and offers a rewarding, balanced risk profile.”

Previndran highlights that purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) is “a big thing” in the UK and Australia, especially with the significant number of Malaysian and other international students from the Middle East and beyond. “Therefore, we believe it’s best to focus on these asset classes,” he adds.

Although the partnership is just beginning, Previndran hopes it will pave the way for expansion into new markets. “I would love to cover other geographical locations where Malaysians are going,” he says.

Palmer adds that while the firm may explore other markets over time, it is committed to maintaining focus on core asset classes and service quality. “We don’t want to spread ourselves too thin,” he says, noting that senior management want to ensure they can continue providing hands-on service to each client and put investors’ needs first.

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