More affordable homes under improved Perak Housing Policy
KUALA LUMPUR: Improvements to the Perak Housing Policy, which comes into effect today, will allow the state government to provide more affordable and low-cost housing to Bumiputeras and those in the bottom 40 per cent income group (B40).
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the policy would also benefit housing developers bogged down by the perennial issue of unsold Bumiputera quota lots.
He admitted that a lot of criticism had been levelled at the Pakatan Harapan state government for reducing the period allowed for housing developers to release their unsold Bumiputera lots. However, Faizal explained that the move made much more economic sense.
“The new policy will better fulfil the demands and aspirations of the Bumiputeras and B40 group.
“If this was not done, the state government would still eventually release the (Bumiputera) properties after two years, but by that time, there would be no point.
“We want to allow developers to have this option earlier so that they can factor in the cost at the beginning. This allows them to properly plan their housing projects. This matter was well-received by developers.
“But some Malays think I am seizing the rights of Bumiputeras, when in fact, we are giving much more to those who need help. We want to give more to Malays and B40," Faizal said in a recent interview with Media Prima Bhd at Seri Pentas.
On Feb 13, the state government said it would shorten the period to allow housing developers to apply for properties under the Bumiputera quota to be released, from two years previously to six months under the new Perak Housing Policy.
This was to alleviate the burden of housing developers as they would have to bear damage and maintenance costs of unsold properties.
Faizal said the new Perak Housing Policy had provisions for housing developers to buy unsold Bumiputera quota lots, with conditions.
“Levies imposed on housing developers to sell Bumiputera lots is collected through the Perak Housing and Property Board, and the funds are used to build more affordable and low-cost housing, priced as low as RM35,000.”
The policy factors in current realities, such as the growing segment of Bumiputera housebuyers who can afford properties with high prices.
He said it was important to help well-off Bumiputeras obtain properties that would appreciate in value as Bumiputera lots were known to have stagnant value.
He said overall, Perak’s major issue in its housing sector was an imbalance in demand and supply of affordable and low-cost housing built by private sector companies.
He said the Pakatan Harapan state government was adhering to the coalition’s general election pledge to build 50,000 affordable homes under the Rumah Perakku project in five years.
“We have built 30,000 units of Rumah Perakku. I am proud that we have successfully developed lowcost housing projects, undertaken by the Perak Housing and Property Board, with units sold at RM35,000 in Seri Manjung.”
Faizal said statistics showed that there was a huge demand for lowcost and affordable housing.
“Based on research by the Khazanah Research Institute in 2016, more than 20 per cent of households in Perak earned less than RM2,000 a month and 80 per cent of households earned less than RM6,000 a month.
“This shows that a majority of Perakians have limited capabilities to own homes.”
He said other housing projects under the Sayangi Perakku initiative were being developed with the Perak Housing and Property Board and Yayasan Perak, along with the Rumah Harapan project, which cost RM6.7 million.
The Perak Economic Development Corporation was undertaking a project involving 3,000 units of landed properties, while areas such as Kampung Sungai Rokam and Taman Meru in Ipoh have been earmarked by the state government for future housing projects.
The state government allocated RM71.7 million in this year’s budget for affordable housing.