50% low-cost units unoccupied

21/11/2007 The Star

At the Penang State Assembly

ONLY 50% of the currently available 14,273 low-cost housing units in the state have been taken up so far.

Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang in the Auditor-General’s Report 2006 for Penang said that up till December last year, a total of 7,141 units of such housing units were still not occupied.

“Most of the applicants had either rejected these units or failed to inform the developers about their offer,” he said.

The report was presented to the House during the sitting yesterday.

Ambrin said rental arrears on occupied units till last December had increased to RM6.59mil compared to RM6.08mil in 2005.

However, he said, the monthly maintenance fee arrears had dropped from RM2.86mil in 2005 to RM2.7mil last year.

“Many occupants failed to settle their rental arrears because of an increase in the cost of living while some of their descendants declined to be responsible over the payment.

“In some cases, the monthly bills were not issued, while there was also a lack of enforcement by the State Secretary’s department,” he said.

On a different matter, Ambrin said the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) had yet to submit strata title applications of 1,590 property owners in its commercial and housing schemes to the state Land and Mines Department.