Photo: Bernama
KUALA LUMPUR: Over two out of three abandoned housing projects nationwide involve houses that cost below RM300,000, says the Housing and Local Government Ministry.
Its Deputy Minister Datuk Aiman Athirah Sabu said they had recorded 117 abandoned projects with a total of 30,840 houses as at Jan 31, with 81 projects involving units priced RM300,000 and below.
He added that these 81 projects involve 23,031 houses and 12,565 buyers.
Aiman Athirah said the abandoned projects involve 13 projects with houses priced between RM301,000 to RM500,000, five projects (RM500,001 to RM750,000), two projects (RM750,001 to RM1mil) and 16 projects (RM1mil and above).
He said this Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Monday (March 25) in reply to a supplementary question by Senator Tan Sri Datuk Low Kian Chuan, who wanted to know the number of abandoned housing projects according to the price range.
In reply to Senator Manolan Mohamad's supplementary question on unsold houses, he said among the main factors behind this was the Covid-19 epidemic which affected economic growth and the financial position of buyers as well as high-priced houses but low demand.
Other factors include projects in unstrategic areas without good facilities and buyers being denied bank loans.
In replying to Low's original question regarding a timeline for completing the vacancy tax feasibility study to help solve the problem of unsold residential properties (overhang), Aiman Athirah said the government does not believe there is a need to carry out such a study.
"The government is of the view that the intervention actions implemented in the housing market at the moment are adequate," he said. – Bernama
