Will Limit Residence Period In Rusunawa, DKI Provincial Government Hopes Occupants Can Take Mortgages

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Provincial Government plans to limit the stay period in simple rented flats (rusunawa) for the general and programmed category of people.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Public Housing and Settlement Areas (DPRKP), Kelik Indriyanto, explained that this policy is expected to encourage the residents of the flats to have permanent housing by applying for public housing loans (KPR).

"Currently, the DPRKP is distributing KPR funds in the form of distributing housing ownership financing facilities (FPPR) with an interest rate of 5 percent fixed and a tenor period of up to 20 years for low-income people," Kelik told reporters, Friday, February 7.

Kelik said that currently there are still many Jakarta residents who need decent housing. Meanwhile, the availability of flats in Jakarta has not been proportional to the number of residential needs.

Thus, Kelik hopes that the Rusunawa tenants who have been getting a subsidy for the residential rental rate managed by the DKI Provincial Government can set aside their income to prepare for mortgage installments. Then, the Rusunawa unit which will be abandoned will be inhabited by other communities.

"When the period of residence is over, it is hoped that residents will have sufficient savings to buy subsidized houses that are also prepared by the government," he explained.

The plan is that the residents of the flats with the general category will be limited to a residence for 6 years and the residents of the terporgram category will be limited to 10 years.

"The rental letter (SP) is valid for 2 years. So, the programmed community can only extend the SP 5 times and the general one can only extend the SP 3 times," said DKI Jakarta DPRKP Secretary Meli Budiastuti to reporters, Thursday, February 6.

Meli said that the policy of limiting the time for Rusunawa tenants would only apply after the revision of Governor Regulation (Pergub) Number 111 of 2014 concerning the Mechanism of Occupying Rusunawa. Currently, the DKI Provincial Government is still finalizing the draft revision of the governor's regulation.

"So, the argument is after the governor's regulation is issued. It is impossible for us to count backwards. The governor's regulation will be issued, after that (the lease time limit will take effect) in the next 6 years, in the next 10 years," said Meli.