KUCHING: The Sarawak government will consider the proposal to expand the Housing Deposit Repayment Assistance Scheme (HDRAS) policies, in line with the announcement of the Madani deposit initiative.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said he would present the matter to Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg for a holistic discussion, including the payment of levies by developers.
“Currently, there is a mismatch in housing supply, with over 100,000 houses unoccupied due to rural-to-urban migration.
“Of Sarawak’s 800,000-plus houses, there are only about 700,000 households, meaning we have a significant gap to address,” he said when officiating the Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers Association (Sheda) Property Expo 2024 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here today (Sept 6).
The Madani deposit initiative, proposed by the Federal Housing and Local Government Ministry in the 2025 budget, aims to provide up to RM30,000 in deposit assistance for first-time homebuyers in the B40 and M40 groups.
Earlier, Sheda president Augustine Wong, in his speech, urged the Sarawak government to expand the HDRAS scheme in line with the Madani deposit initiative.
He also outlined several proposals to complement the Madani deposit initiative, such as increasing the household income threshold to RM15,000 per month.
Additionally, he suggested that the government raise the HDRAS financial assistance to 10 per cent of the Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) price from the current RM10,000.
Furthermore, he proposed allowing buyers to use the HDRAS grant to purchase any property from the open market, as long as the applicant is eligible.
“We believe these measures will have a positive impact on housing affordability, which in turn promotes sustainability,” he added.
Wong also called on the government to reinvest levy collections from developers back into the Sarawak property market and expand the HDRAS framework to give eligible buyers more options in the open market.
