FIJI’S chronic shortage of affordable housing is manifesting itself in the competition for affordable homes already in the market and this is what a national conversation on this issue should be addressing, said Public Rental Board general manager Timoci Naleba.
The concern comes after recent media reports quoted Minister of Finance Professor Biman Prasad accusing the PRB of “sleeping on the job” during a public discussion in which it was heard that PRB was renting out flats to tenants who did not qualify to be there.
PRB provides homes through its housing projects on a weekly rental of between $15 to $100 depending on the size, for low-income households with an income threshold of $30,000 or less per family.
At a meet the press and public forum organised by the Fijian Media Association in Labasa last Thursday, concerns were raised by the public who accused PRB of laxity that they claimed allowed tenancy for families earning more than $30,000 a year.
“We are not sleeping on the job,” Mr Naleba said in an interview with this newspaper yesterday.
“PRB normally conducts social surveys every six months.
“Through that social survey, we identify those that have surpassed the threshold of $30,000 (collective annual salary).
“So whoever is above that is being given the notice to vacate or being asked to vacate because of the fact that they have exceeded that.”
Last year, PRB issued vacate notices to six such families, he said.
“When tenants come to PRB, they send us their bank statements, their FNPF, their tax statements and they have a declaration stating their income. We make our decision based on those information.
“Most of them when they come to PRB, only one is working. Then over the course of time, the spouse finds a job and so their collective income goes up. Even then, for most of these families, their collective income still falls below $30,000. But for those that go above $30,000, we do give them the notice to vacate.”
Mr Naleba said he understood the frustration shown by the public as there is a serious shortage of affordable housing in Fiji.
“Right now, we have more than 200 applications in the waiting list but I don’t have the stock to meet that demand. And I think that would be a more appropriate conversation that we should be having because the reason people are complaining and reporting about each other is because there are not enough flats, not enough homes. They are competing for the same houses.”
He said the PRB has 1700 units in its inventory and its recent partnership with the Fiji Development Bank should see it begin construction on new housing projects soon to cater for the demand.
