Banjar fee in Bali and the other hidden costs of renting

Nest team · Last updated: 6 October 2026

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A banjar fee in Bali is a contribution to the local customary community, and there is no Bali-wide amount: each customary village sets its own in its own rules. In Denpasar, for example, the West Denpasar district office confirmed in May 2022 that a Rp 20,000 monthly fee a newcomer had asked about exists under Desa Adat Denpasar's rules, and that the government administration does not collect it.

It is one of several costs on top of rent, with a security deposit, PLN electricity, water, internet, rubbish collection and upkeep. Below: what each one is, who pays it, and what to put in writing before you pay anything. This is general information as of October 2026; fees and rules differ from one village, and one home, to the next.

What is a banjar, and why would it ask you for a fee?

A banjar is the local community council of a neighbourhood. Under Bali's 2019 regional regulation on customary villages (Perda Bali 4/2019), a banjar is part of a desa adat, a customary village with its own territory, temples, traditions and the right to run its own affairs. It exists next to the state's administrative village (the desa dinas or kelurahan), and the banjar fee belongs to the customary side.

The regulation sorts the people in a customary village into three groups:

• krama desa adat: Balinese Hindus registered as members of the village;
• krama tamiu: Balinese Hindus who are recorded in the village but are not members;
• tamiu: everyone else who stays in the village's area, for a while or to live, and is recorded there.

So if you are not a Balinese Hindu and you are recorded in the village, the regulation counts you as tamiu. Members carry full duties, which the regulation's explanatory notes describe as contributions (pawedalan) and physical work (ayah-ayahan). For a tamiu, the regulation says only that they carry limited duties (swadharma terbatas) in community life and the environment, with the details left to the village's own rules (awig-awig) and its assembly's decisions (pararem). The notes define limited duties ("only in certain matters") for the second group, not for tamiu. The regulation names no fee, no amount and no rule on whether a tamiu must pay, so all of that differs from village to village.

What the money supports varies too. A customary village is responsible for its village temples and forms its own traditional security unit, the pecalang, and one agency guide says banjar fees also support local events and ceremonies. Bali's 2019 governor regulation on waste (Pergub Bali 47/2019) lets a customary village charge for collecting and processing rubbish, with the amount set in its own rules, so a banjar fee may include rubbish collection or sit next to a separate charge.

How much is the banjar fee in Bali?

There is no single figure. Amounts we found, each dated (they may have changed since):

The IDN Times article also lists separate charges on accommodation businesses such as a kos or a villa. That difference matters: a charge on the villa or kos as a business is not the same as the contribution asked from the people living in it.

Agency guides quote higher ranges. One Bali agency puts the monthly charge on the owner of a villa used as rental accommodation at Rp 50,000 to Rp 250,000 (2023), and gives Rp 100,000 to Rp 1,000,000 a month in general, depending on the village and your level of participation (2025). Neither names an official source, so treat them as rough reports, not rates.

Who pays: you or the owner?

It depends on the home. The same agency's renting guide says a banjar fee is "not always charged to tenants, but it can be", and its banjar guide notes that some landlords include it in the rent while others leave it to the tenant. Before you sign, ask whether there is one, how much, who pays and whether it covers rubbish, and write the answer into the contract.

How do you know a banjar fee request is genuine?

Two answers on Denpasar's official complaint portal show how it works. In May 2022 a newcomer asked whether a Rp 20,000 monthly fee was compulsory. The West Denpasar district office replied that the government administration does not collect it, but that the fee exists under a decision of the head of Desa Adat Denpasar and the village's rules, and suggested asking the customary village directly. In June 2023 a kos tenant reported Rp 20,000 a month per person collected by pecalang, who handed over a Desa Adat Denpasar ticket. The administrative village replied that it levies nothing and that the collection was the local customary banjar's, under Desa Adat Denpasar.

According to the IDN Times community-written article, collectors in Desa Adat Denpasar are appointed by the head of the banjar (the kelian) or its board and carry official identification, and anyone asked for more than the set amounts can report it to the banjar's board.

In practice:

• ask your landlord or the property's staff first;
• ask the collector which banjar they are from, and for a ticket or receipt;
• if in doubt, ask the kelian banjar yourself;
• never transfer a "banjar fee" or a deposit to someone you only know from a chat. If that happens around a listing, see Nest's safety page.

How much is the deposit, and how do you get it back?

A security deposit (uang jaminan) is money you pay at the start that comes back at the end if nothing is owed. Its size, what can be deducted and when it is returned are whatever your contract says, so agree all three in writing rather than assuming a standard.

Nearly every rental on Nest is listed as furnished: on 6 October 2026, 1,461 of the 1,491 rentals on Nest were. So the check on move-in day is what protects your deposit. One agency describes its standard move-in as a walkthrough with the tenant, the owner or their representative and the agent, checking the condition of the villa and its furniture, with an inventory as the reference for the stay. Take photos, note the meter readings and attach the inventory to the contract. Pay a deposit or a DP (down payment) only after you have viewed the home and signed.

What will electricity cost?

Electricity comes from PLN, the state electricity company, either prepaid, where you buy a 20-digit token listrik and key it into the meter, or postpaid with a monthly bill. One agency's renting guide says electricity is frequently paid separately on both monthly and yearly rentals, and that heavy air-conditioning use can materially change the bill.

The latest tariff table on PLN's website when we checked on 6 October 2026 was the one for July to September 2026. It covers PLN's 13 non-subsidised groups; for the household groups below, the prepaid and postpaid rates are the same:

The energy ministry said these rates did not rise that quarter. At Rp 1,699.53, every 100 kWh costs about Rp 170,000. On a postpaid meter, the table also applies a minimum monthly bill of 40 hours of use at the connected power, so a home you leave empty still costs something. Check PLN's tariff page for the current quarter.

Before you agree, ask whether the meter is prepaid or postpaid, its connection size and what recent months cost. If the owner bills you instead of PLN, agree the rate per kWh and how the meter is read, in writing.

Water, internet, rubbish and gas: what should you ask?

• Water. Bali villas typically use PDAM, the regional water company, or a deep well, according to the same renting guide; PDAM pressure can vary by area, and a well may rely on pumps and filters. Ask which one the home uses, how you pay for it and who maintains the pump and filters.
• Internet. The guide says internet is commonly included in monthly rentals but not always in yearly ones, and that its speed shouldn't be assumed. Ask the speed, the provider and whose name the contract is in.
• Rubbish. Bali's waste regulation requires everyone in a household to manage the waste they produce, including sorting it into at least five types: biodegradable, reusable, recyclable, hazardous and residual. Collection may be part of the banjar fee or a separate charge, and one agency notes pickups may pause during major ceremonies such as Galungan or Nyepi.
• Gas. Ask whether cooking gas is provided or bought by you.

Pool, garden and cleaning: included or extra?

What one agency's 2026 renting guide reports:

Agree the schedule, and who pays for pool chemicals, air-conditioner servicing and small repairs.

Do you pay the agent?

Ask before you view whether the agent charges you anything, how much and what for, and get the answer in writing.

What should you agree in writing before you pay?

For the contract or a signed annex:

• the rent, how it is paid and what it includes;
• the deposit: amount, possible deductions and the date it comes back;
• electricity: prepaid or postpaid, and the rate if the owner bills you;
• the water source and who maintains it; the internet and who pays for it;
• the banjar fee: amount, how often and who pays;
• rubbish collection and the pool, garden and cleaning schedules;
• who pays for repairs and air-conditioner servicing;
• any agent fee;
• the inventory, photos and meter readings from move-in day.

This is general information, not legal advice. For a lease of several months or more, check the contract with a licensed notary (PPAT) before you sign or pay.

The short version

1. Before viewing, ask what the rent includes and whether there is a banjar fee.
2. Check any fee request with your landlord or the kelian banjar, and keep the ticket.
3. Pay a deposit only after a viewing and a signed contract, with an inventory attached.
4. Know your electricity setup and PLN's current rates.
5. Put every answer in the contract, and when you compare long-term rentals on Nest, compare what each price includes.

Sources

1. Pemerintah Provinsi Bali (JIDHAT): Peraturan Daerah Provinsi Bali Nomor 4 Tahun 2019 tentang Desa Adat di Bali (accessed 6 October 2026)
2. Pemerintah Provinsi Bali (DKLH): Peraturan Gubernur Bali Nomor 47 Tahun 2019 tentang Pengelolaan Sampah Berbasis Sumber (accessed 6 October 2026)
3. PLN: Penetapan Penyesuaian Tarif Tenaga Listrik (Tariff Adjustment) Bulan Juli - September 2026 (accessed 6 October 2026)
4. PLN: Tariff Adjustment (accessed 6 October 2026)
5. Kementerian ESDM: Jaga Daya Beli, Menteri ESDM: Tarif Listrik Tidak Naik (30 June 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
6. Pemerintah Kota Denpasar (Pro Denpasar): Iuran Banjar Bagi Pendatang di Denpasar (May 2022) (accessed 6 October 2026)
7. Pemerintah Kota Denpasar (Pro Denpasar): Pengaduan Dugaan Adanya Pungli Desa Pakraman (June 2023) (accessed 6 October 2026)
8. IDN Times Bali: 11 Macam Iuran Warga yang Tinggal di Desa Adat Denpasar (24 January 2023) (accessed 6 October 2026)
9. Bali Portal News: Iuran Untuk Duktang Disepakati Rp 100.000 (24 April 2017) (accessed 6 October 2026)
10. Bali Home Immo: Your Guide to Long Term Rental in Bali Today (3 March 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
11. Bali Home Immo: What is Banjar? (27 February 2025) (accessed 6 October 2026)
12. Bali Home Immo: Villa Expenses in Bali Rental (20 November 2023) (accessed 6 October 2026)
13. Bali Home Immo: Prepaid Electricity (28 August 2020) (accessed 6 October 2026)