THERE are tenants in the Penang owned public housing (PPR) who have run up arrears of RM20,000 to RM30,000, which meant they have never paid rent for over 15 to 25 years, prompting the state government to rethink its approach in dealing with them.

Penang housing exco Jagdeep Singh Deo said it has little choice but to evict them.

“Some are just recalcitrant. They think it is a government property so they can stay without paying and will not get evicted. There are many cases like these.

“A few were given the chance to pay up. But often they will pay rent for one or two months, and then not pay for 10 months,” he told The Malaysian Insight yesterday.

Jagdeep said there are some genuine cases, where the tenants truly could not afford to pay.

In such cases, instalment packages were offered to assist them to clear the arrears.

“These cases are not our priority to take action. There are other cases where you just cannot tolerate (the abuse).”

The authorities, he said, had found some tenants still occupying PPR units, despite having properties of their own.

“How can you say you are eligible when you already own a house elsewhere?”

Jagdeep said quite a number of PPR tenants at the Taman Manggis project in George Town are being evicted because they already own homes.

Last week, action was taken action against 22 tenants at Taman Manggis. They have until Wednesday to vacate the units unless they can prove they deserve to stay.

“We found their records of property ownership. If they can refute them, we will reconsider,” Jagdeep said.

In other cases of abuse, he said some tenants are subletting their PPR units to others for higher rent.

“They rent from us for RM100 a month but they sublet it to others for RM500 to RM600 a month. We have cases like this everywhere. It is not proper at all.”

There are also cases of PPR tenants overstaying despite being better off now.

“In the past when they applied for PPR units, their income was low. But now they are economically better off and can even drive good cars.

“They should be magnanimous and give way to others who are waiting for units to be available.

“PPR units are transitional homes. That is why tenants have to renew their PPR rental applications every two years,” Jagdeep said.

He said state authorities will continue to conduct periodic assessments to check the eligibility of current tenants.

“We have to look at the bigger picture due to the long waiting list and short supply of PPR homes.”

With a RM128 monthly rental, PPR units are meant for the hardcore poor, and application requirements and conditions are stringent.

The applicant must be a Malaysian aged 21 and above, and has lived in Penang for at least five years. He or she must also be a registered Penang voter.

The applicant’s monthly salary cannot exceed RM750, while the household income must also not exceed RM1,500 a month. The applicant must also have at least five dependants.

The applicant must also not own any property in Penang or elsewhere in Malaysia; and those married to foreigners are not allowed to occupy PPR units.

Special consideration is given to eligible applicants who are disabled, single mothers, and widows of security forces officers who were killed on duty, and squatters affected by government projects.

In Penang, demand is high for such homes, with 1,137 applicants on the waiting list throughout the state, which has the fewest PPR projects nationwide at 999 units.

Applicants typically wait several years before they are given units to rent. On the current waiting list, some have been waiting for over 10 years. – March 5, 2019.