IJI Group: what Bali property buyers should know
Balinsky recorded an interview with developer IJI Group on site in Pandawa — at the completed Rahya Villas and on the Eighth Sense and Body Sense construction sites. Below are the key points for anyone thinking about buying.
The expert — Anna Osipenko, founder and CEO of IJI Group. 15 years in construction: she started as a real estate agent, then ran a general contracting company in Ukraine, building cottage communities and 25–30-storey residential towers. Lawyer by training. She has been coming to Bali for 19 years and has been building here for five. The company has its own management company, IJI Home.
The figures below come from the developer. Balinsky has not verified them.
1. In a hotel you buy income, not square metres
Every extra square metre means more air conditioning and longer cleaning. According to Anna, 10 extra minutes of cleaning per room in a 73-unit complex means three more staff. The owner pays for them. A room "for yourself" and a room "for income" are different purchases.
2. A simple formula
Nightly rate × occupied nights per month ÷ 2 ≈ what the owner keeps.
- Booking takes about 24% (a base 18% plus surcharges for its programmes).
- The management company takes about 20% of revenue.
- A little more goes on consumables.
Example from the interview: a unit earns $3,000 in a month → the owner gets about $1,550–1,600.
3. An example from a completed project
Rahya Villas was handed over in September 2024 — two weeks after the date in the contract. Occupancy over the last six months, according to the developer, was 89–96%, and 93% now.
A 2-bedroom villa cost about $190,000 at presale; the last available one now costs $250,000. The calculation in the interview (about $130 a night, 93% occupancy, all costs and taxes): about 10.5% a year on the presale price and about 8% on today's price.
4. Apartments currently rent better than villas
According to IJI Group's reports, apartments fill better and return a few percent more. Guests want privacy: even groups of friends book separate rooms rather than one big villa.
Villas are more often bought for personal use: in Eighth Sense an owner can stay in their unit for up to 45 days a year.
5. You cannot switch management company on your own
The main thing to understand before buying. In a hotel complex a single unit cannot be taken out of the shared pool: the lobby, security, storage and service rooms are shared. The operator can only be replaced for the whole complex, if most owners are unhappy.
What to check in advance: the management company's reports on an already completed project. IJI Group promises owners an app showing occupancy and income in real time.
6. How the deal works
- The contract is with the developer's company (PT PMA), which leases the land.
- 30% down payment, the rest in instalments until construction ends.
- After completion: a handover certificate, a notarised sublease agreement, an agreement with the management company. About a month.
- Under the sublease the buyer receives the same rights the developer has under the main land lease.
- For apartments, the land is split according to each unit's share of the floor area.
7. Land and permits
- The land lease is 30 years plus a guaranteed 25-year extension. Allowing for construction, 28 years remain. The extension, by the developer's estimate, costs about $8–10k per unit.
- For daily rentals the building permit (PBG) must state the use as "hotel". The hotel licence is held by the management company.
- You cannot build on the whole plot: in this zone, up to 60%.
- As of 8 October 2026: Eighth Sense has a PBG and environmental certificates; next comes the SLF (certificate of occupancy). For Body Sense the fees are paid and the PBG application is being filed.
8. How the developer reduces the risk of an unfinished build
- The land is bought out in full before sales start.
- About 25% of the construction money is the developer's own.
- The developer's margin in Bali, according to Anna, is 18–22%. So once about 80% of units are sold, construction is fully funded. In Eighth Sense 18 of 73 units are still available.
- Buyers who pay late face a penalty of up to 10% of the unit price, plus another 10% fine if they refuse to pay.
9. Who should not buy
According to Anna:
- people who want to resell in 3 months at double the price;
- people investing their last money;
- people with no reserve for the instalment payments.
10. A nearly finished project or an early-stage build
- Nearly finished — less waiting. Eighth Sense, according to the developer's plan, will start renting in spring 2027 (April–May). Available units: $126,000 (lower floors), $136,000 (upper floors), about $180,000 (two-level 2-bedroom units).
- Early stage — longer wait, more potential price growth. Body Sense is a wellness resort with programmes from 7 nights; the wait is about two years.
Why Pandawa
According to the developer, about half of the guests are Indonesians from Jakarta and other islands: they holiday around Nusa Dua, Pandawa and Melasti rather than Canggu. Another large group is Australians. The government is investing in the Bukit: the toll road from the airport, new roads and a second pumping station for water.
The full interview (in Russian) is available via the video button below.
