By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, May 18 — The Selangor government is reviewing rental rates at the Lembah Subang 1 People’s Housing Project (PPR) in Petaling Jaya as part of efforts to strengthen service delivery and ensure long-term maintenance sustainability, said state executive councillor for housing Datuk Borhan Aman Shah.
However, he stressed that the state government plans to improve service delivery before any rental increases are introduced, adding that any adjustments would only be considered after public engagement sessions.
“We will engage with residents and ensure they understand that when we take over, we will provide the best service,” he said.
He said this when speaking to reporters after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) formalising the transfer of PPR management from the Housing and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) to the Selangor government.
“We will upgrade first so that residents can see better services, cleaner surroundings, better maintenance and improved facilities,” he said.
He also said issues of subletting had been identified, with some units rented out to third parties instead of being occupied by the original tenants.
According to him, the state is addressing the matter gradually through engagement and tenant verification to ensure housing allocations benefit eligible residents.
Additionally, Borhan said engagement and community programmes will be carried out to ensure better compliance and improved living conditions.
He said the state has recorded a 60 per cent rental collection rate since taking over management of the 3,004-unit housing project in April this year, which houses nearly 12,000 residents.
The improvement came after Selangor Housing and Property Sdn Bhd (PHSSB) assumed management of the project.
“Now we have achieved a collection rate of 60 per cent. God willing, we will continue to improve this,” he said.
He said the takeover aims to improve maintenance and service delivery at the 26-year-old housing project.
Borhan added that the state has begun upgrading works including waste management, repainting, lift maintenance and water tank repairs, noting that existing rental levels were previously insufficient to sustain upkeep.
“The current rental collection is not enough to cover maintenance, so the state government has had to top it up,” he said.
He added that KPKT has allocated RM2.3 million to support maintenance for the year.
