GOVT EYES RUMAH TRANSIT BANGSA JOHOR EXPANSION TO OTHER STATES

KLUANG, Sept 22 (Bernama) -- The government is ready to study the Rumah Transit Bangsa Johor model for potential expansion to other states, aiming to assist the public, especially low-income groups and young families, to own their own homes.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said, at present, only the Johor government provides the facility to rent houses, where a portion of the rental payment is set aside as savings towards the deposit for a future home purchase.

“These houses are categorised into several sectors for those with limited means, offering reasonable rental rates, with 30 per cent of the rent refunded to young families to help them buy a home after the rental period ends.

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“If a proposal to bring this matter to the Cabinet is made, it will definitely receive my support,” he told reporters after launching the Kluang Affordable Housing Realisation Ceremony here today.

Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Deputy Works Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

Ahmad Zahid noted that Johor's approach meets the needs of young families just starting out, whose purchasing power is still limited.

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Therefore, he believes that this rent-saving scheme is a necessary approach for young people in Malaysia, and it could serve as a model for other states, particularly for housing in urban and suburban areas.

Last year, the state government launched the Rumah Transit Bangsa Johor, which differs from the rent-to-own or lease-to-buy concepts, as one of the initiatives aimed at helping the people of Johor.

Tenants pay RM650, divided into RM455 for the rental payment and RM195 as savings, enabling them to accumulate more than RM11,000 in savings over five years.

-- BERNAMA