Banjarmasin is known as Kota Seribu Sungai, the City of a Thousand Rivers. It sits on the Barito and Martapura rivers, with many smaller waterways in between. Stilt houses along the banks and rumah lanting, houses that float on the water, have long been part of the city.
For some people a riverside house is the dream: a cooler breeze, a view of the water and river life at the front door. For others it is a family house, or part of the kampung where they grew up.
This guide is for anyone looking at a house on the river in Banjarmasin. These houses raise questions that a house on an ordinary street doesn’t, from their legal status to how you get a wardrobe inside.
River setbacks and the building’s status
The garis sempadan sungai (river setback line) marks a protected strip along each bank. The land between the river and that line is kept for the river’s own functions, so building there is restricted.
Its width is set by rules from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) and by local regulations. It depends on the type of river and whether it has an embankment, so there is no single figure that applies everywhere.
Some riverside houses were built long before those rules existed and sit inside the setback. A house like that may have no land certificate and no PBG (Persetujuan Bangunan Gedung, the building approval). A major renovation or a rebuild may struggle to get a permit.
A house inside the setback can also be affected by a riverbank improvement program. What the owner receives in such a program depends on the building’s legal status and the policy at the time.
To check, ask the city’s Dinas PUPR or spatial planning office where the setback line runs at that spot, look at the spatial plan on GISTARU (the ATR/BPN spatial plan map), then compare it with the parcel at the Kantor Pertanahan (land office). The full process is in how to check zoning before you buy land.
Does the certificate cover the part over the water?
Riverside houses are often built in stages. The front stands on land, then a kitchen, porch or bathroom reaches out over the water.
A certificate covers only the parcel of land that was measured and recorded. The part of a house standing over the river may fall outside it.
To check:
- Compare the parcel drawing in the certificate with the actual house. Measure the plot’s width and depth, then see which parts stick out beyond the parcel.
- Look up the parcel on BHUMI, the ATR/BPN online parcel map, and compare it with where the house sits.
- Have a PPAT (the official who draws up land deeds) check the certificate at the Kantor Pertanahan before you agree a price.
A rumah lanting is a different case. It floats and doesn’t stand on a land parcel, so what you buy is essentially the building. Ask where it is moored and with whose permission.
Make your offer for what is legally recorded, not for the area you can see on site.
Tides, flooding and the riverbank
Banjarmasin is low-lying and tidal. The river rises and falls every day, and at certain times the high tide is higher than usual. When a high tide meets heavy rain, water can reach the yard or come into the house.
On a viewing:
- Ask the neighbours how high the water came at the highest tide they remember, and what happened there during the January 2021 floods.
- Look for old water marks on walls, posts and fences.
- Compare the floor height with the highest of those marks.
- Look under the house at low tide for trapped rubbish and mud.
Look at the riverbank as well. Currents and the wash from passing boats can wear a bank away bit by bit. Warning signs include cracks in the ground running parallel to the river, leaning posts, sagging boardwalks, or a cracked and holed retaining wall. Ask who maintains the wall in front of the house.
How homes on wetland adapt to water is covered in living on swampland in Banjarmasin.
Access by alley or boardwalk
Many riverside houses can only be reached along a narrow gang (alley) or a titian, a timber walkway over the water. That affects daily life more than it seems on a viewing.
- Where does the car stop? If a car can’t get in, find out how far it is to the nearest parking.
- How do large items get in? Wardrobes, mattresses and building materials have to be carried by hand, and that labour adds to any renovation.
- What about emergencies? See how close an ambulance or a fire engine can get.
- Who maintains the walkway? Rotten boards on a shared path can become a problem that nobody clearly owns.
Access can also affect the bank’s assessment if you are buying with a mortgage (KPR). Ask the bank before you pay a deposit.
Timber, sanitation and fire risk
Many riverside houses are timber stilt houses. The posts at the waterline usually decay first, because the wood there goes from wet to dry every day.
Tap and probe the posts there with a screwdriver. Wood that feels soft or crumbles needs replacing. Ulin (Bornean ironwood) is very durable and termite resistant, but not every part of a house is ulin. Stilt houses and their timber are covered in Kalimantan’s traditional stilt houses.
Ask where wastewater and sewage go. Some older houses still discharge straight into the river. Building a proper septic tank on tidal land isn’t simple, so ask a builder what it would cost before you make an offer.
Check whether the house is connected to the PDAM (the regional water utility). In some places river water turns brackish during a long dry spell.
Dense timber neighbourhoods are prone to fire, and a fire can spread quickly from house to house. Check the wiring, especially joints fixed directly to the boards. Ask whether there has been a fire nearby, and keep a fire extinguisher in the house from the first day.
Daily life on the river
The river is part of everyday life here. Kelotok and jukung, the local motorboats and canoes, pass the front of the house, sometimes from dawn, and their engines and wash become part of your day.
Small things you will notice over time:
- Safety rails on the porch and walkway if you have young children.
- Mosquitoes, especially towards evening.
- Rubbish carried in on the current and caught under the house.
- A muddy smell at low tide in some spots.
If you can, visit in the morning, in the late afternoon and at high tide. The same house can feel very different at different hours.
Before you make an offer
- Ask for copies of the certificate and the PBG or IMB (the older building permit), then match them against the actual house.
- Ask the Dinas PUPR or spatial planning office where the setback line runs at that spot.
- View the house at high tide and at low tide, and talk to two or three neighbours.
- Check the posts, boards, wiring and wastewater, or bring a builder who knows timber houses.
- Talk to the bank if you need a mortgage.
- Base your offer on the legally recorded part of the property and the repair costs you found.
Houses currently listed in the city are on houses for sale in Banjarmasin.
