KUCHING: Everyone needs a place to call home; however, many, especially the urban squatters and low income households are finding it hard to make ends meet – not to mention buying or renting a decent place.
Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Kuching youth chief Eric Tay Tze Kok said affordable housing was one of the issues often raised by the people, including newly-wed couples, poor families, elderly parents as well as job seekers.
“During our MobileService2u programme, we often met people, who need affordable housing or a cheaper place to rent,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
Citing an example of a woman he met recently, Tay said the mother-of-eight was in dire need of a place with affordable rental as her husband, who used to be the breadwinner had lost both legs (without elaborating further), hence, unable to work.
“She told us, her family really needs a roof over their head. Thus, I contacted the Housing Development Corporation, where we learnt about the People’s Housing Project (PPR) Landeh,” he said.
Tay has brought a few families to visit the site and assisted with their applications, where the first batch of successful applicants will be moving in next month.
Meanwhile, there are 350 units still available for rent. However, they must apply with HDC and fulfil certain criteria.
PPR Landeh at RM250 rental per month
Located about 15-minute drive from Padawan, PPR Landeh, is a gated community, which consists of two (Block A and Block B) eight-storey buildings, equipped with lifts.
In addition, there are other facilities such as surau, playground, community hall, parking lots, an open-air space for residents to run their small home-businesses and even a kindergarten.
According to Tay, there are a total of 446 units; each unit is about 700 square feet, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, kitchen as well as an open floor plan for living and dining areas.
“It is a very well-planned development, where families with young children do not have to travel far to send their children to kindergarten, saving the cost of transport. Besides, it has disabled-friendly facilities, gated and guarded,” he said.
As the PPR is specifically designed to help people who are unable to own their own home, he said, there are criteria that need to be fulfilled, namely applicants must be:
- Malaysian citizens residing in Sarawak
- Aged between 18 and 65
- Married (as well as single parent)
- Do not own a house or a land
- Monthly household income of RM3,000 or below.
He said successful applicants can rent the unit for RM250 per month for six years.
Rental assistance
Apart from that, Tay said, the residents can apply for Sarawak Rental Assistance Scheme (SRAS), which offers RM200 per month for rental assistance for 36 months.
The scheme was one of the Sarawak government’s initiatives aimed at helping the low income families or single parents with children in Kuching, Sibu, Bintulu and Miri.
“This also means that successful applicants for PPR Landeh can get RM200 from state government; so, they only have to pay RM50 per month (RM250 rental – RM200 from SRAS),” he explained.
Those who fulfil the criteria and are interested can HDC at 082-446781 or 082-444381.
According to HDC website; those who are interested, can download the House Application Form at https://hdc.sarawak.gov.my/.
They must also provide several documents: a copy of the applicant’s and spouse’s MyKad; a copy of marriage / divorce Certificate; a copy of the latest salary slip or income of the applicant and spouse; a copy of house rental receipt if currently renting and a copy of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) statement.
After the form is completed, the application needs to be submitted to the nearest HDC office for processing. Once the application is approved, they will receive an offer letter from HDC.
Implemented by the National Housing Department, PPR is a programme introduced by the federal government; as to offer transitory shelter for urban squatters, low income households with the hope that they would eventually afford to own or rent homes in the private market.
It consists of two categories, namely ‘PPR Disewa’ (rented) and ‘PPR Dimiliki’ (owned), both of which adhere to the planning and design specifications outlined in the National Housing Standards for Low-Cost Residential Flats (CIS2).
Under the Budget 2023, a total of RM367 million has been allocated for the development of new PPRs that will benefit 12,400 residents, while RM358 million has been set aside for the construction of 4,250 units of Rumah Mesra Rakyat under Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad.
