By Batrisyia Jay
Recently, the Selangor state government confirmed that they are aiming to launch around 30,000 units of affordable homes under its Rumah Selangorku housing scheme over the next five years.
Affordable Homes for All in Selangor
A total of 24,869 units of Rumah Selangorku will be fully completed by 2025, said Selangor Menteri Besar, Amirudin Shari, thus proving that the State Government is committed to ensuring the well-being and socioeconomic position of the people of Selangor, and that they are guaranteed to have their own homes. As such, regular monitoring is often carried out to ensure developers comply with various requirements concerning the construction of Rumah Selangorku units.
“As I have stressed before, the state government will not hesitate to cancel the approval if the developer does not cooperate even though the negotiations have been made for 18 months after the approval has been granted. In fact, the state government believes that the problem of affordable housing can be overcome with the construction of Rumah Selangorku,” said Amirudin.
With strong support from the Federal Government, Amirudin is confident the implementation of the National Housing Policy 2.0 and the Affordable Housing Policy can be realized. “This policy will solve many housing issues, which will facilitate the loan approval process in addition to balancing the ratio of affordable housing and independent pricing, which is very different today. Based on the records, construction of Rumah Selangorku units has surpassed the initial target of 15,000 units as set in 2018, while as of 31 August last year, 28,639 units were built, and 3,770 units were delivered.”
As of September last year, there are a total of 204 approved projects offering 104,460 affordable homes to eligible buyers, thus proving that the Rumah Selangorku scheme, which was introduced five years ago, has met with a good response.
A Revamped Policy
As of October 2018, the scheme was revamped and is now known as Rumah Selangorku 2.0. With this new scheme, the state government has refined the celebrated policy to achieve a win-win situation for both buyers and developers by adjusting the requirements as well as the selling prices of the homes.
For example, under the refined policy, which was introduced in February 2018 and implemented in April 2018, the minimum built-up size for a Rumah Selangorku unit has been reduced to 900 sq. ft from 1,000 sq. Ft, while the allocation of Rumah Selangorku units in a project has been reduced by up to 10 per cent.
In line with these changes, the state government is also looking into reducing the maximum price tag for the upcoming Rumah Selangorku units by RM 20,000 to RM 230,000, compared to RM 250,000 previously.
“With the RM 20,000 reduction, I hope it will be easier for the buyers to own a house,” said Amirudin while stressing that although the price has been reduced, there are clear guidelines under Rumah Selangorku 2.0 with regard to building material selection and specifications to ensure that developers build quality homes at affordable prices.
Meanwhile, the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) is also committed to building 864 units of Rumah Selangorku Idaman in Section 6, Selangor Cyber Valley (SCV) at affordable prices from RM 232,000.
The initiative is being praised by the Selangor Menteri Besar, as PKNS is responding to the state government’s suggestion to provide affordable homes, thus providing low-income and medium-income families with their own home. Moreover, the Mentri Besar is confident that the Rumah Selangorku Idaman project by PKNS will improve the well-being of the people in Selangor.
“Interestingly, these 1,000 sq. ft houses also include four units for people with disabilities (OKU), which have various facilities to aid those concerned. With a unique and modern combination of architecture, this project is being built on 14.41 acres of land with two blocks; Block A (14 storeys) and Block B (15 storeys) are equipped with three bedrooms, two bathrooms and two car parks per unit,” said Amirudin when asked about the units.
The anticipated project is expected to be completed in December next year, while expectations for Certificate of Completion and Compliance (CCC) will be obtained in mid-2021.
“Among the advantages of this project are its management office, surau (prayer room), multipurpose hall, three units of shops, a burial preparations room, playground, kindergarten, elevator and four-storey parking lots.
The Starting Point
In 2014, the demand for affordable housing ata price of RM 250,000 and below was steadily increasing in Selangor. As such, the state government had decided to launch the Rumah Selangorku scheme to fulfil the people’s needs. Ever since, the state government has proactively reviewed the existing policy to make it relevant to the current economic situation of the state and the country. As such, it has introduced Rumah Selangorku as part of the provision for low-cost, low-medium cost and medium-cost housing.
The main objective of the policy is to ensure that every individual or family in Selangor is able to own a good, safe and conducive home. With this objective in mind, the Rumah Selangorku scheme aims to offer more value in terms of size, design and community.
As one of the developers involved in Rumah Selangorku developments, LBS Bina Group Berhad Executive Director, Datuk Wira Joey Lim, has said that Rumah Selangorku is a brilliant idea as it really helps lower- and middle-income earners to own a house at a reasonable price.
“Since affordable housing is in line with the group’s as well as the state government’s commitment to build more affordable homes in Selangor, we are honoured and proud to support its efforts in realizing every citizen’s goal of owning a home at a good price,” he said.
Lim added that Rumah Selangorku realizes the dream for everyone to have a roof over their head, and has applauded the state government’s swiftness in ensuring that the people have a home – one of the basic necessities in life. Over the years, LBS has established a solid foundation in crafting high-quality built environment.
A Strategic Location
Cyberjaya was established back in May 1997. Built on 2,800 hectares of mostly undeveloped land and located 40 kilometres south of Kuala Lumpur, Cyberjaya has since become a shining beacon of Malaysia’s hope of having a smart city that will be a driver of the nation’s economy. Also known as Malaysia’s Silicon Valley, this tech hub has seen numerous developments since its humble beginnings with commercial, industrial and educational interests.
“Its location is within the smart city near major highways such as NKVE, LDP, SKVE, Elite and Mex. Travel distance to Putrajaya is 17 kilometers and KLIA is about 29 kilometers away,” said the Selangor Menteri Besar when asked about the location of the Rumah Selangorku units in Section 6, Selangor Cyber Valley (SCV).
He said it is also close to various other facilities such as shopping malls like Shaftsbury, D’Pulze mall and educational institutions such as Multimedia University (MMU), Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS) and Limkokwing Creative University of Technology.
“Hence, I urge residents in Selangor who are not yet homeowners and who want to have PKNS affordable homes to register with the Selangor Real Estate Housing Authority (LPHS).”
Amirudin added that hundreds of applicants have already registered for purchases of units since the scheme was launched, thus proving that this scheme have already had a positive impact on the people of Selangor.
