JOHOR BAHRU: Nana Razali, a housewife, has never owned a home of her own, nor has her family of six.
For the past 13 years, the 32-year-old, her spouse, and their kids have been residing in a rental flat in the Pasir Gudang district, which is around 20 kilometres away by car from the heart of Johor Bahru (JB) city.
The couple’s repeated attempts to apply for mortgage loans for subscale (resale) terrace homes closer to the city have been denied because of low household income, despite Nana’s long-held dream of owning a landed property where her kids could play in the garden and have enough room for each child to have their own bed.
For several reasons, including loan eligibility and the fact that these apartments are usually oversubscribed numerous times, their applications for new launch apartments under the state’s affordable housing initiative have also been denied.
“We have to accept that homes in JB are no longer affordable, so for the time being, we have to settle for this fifth-floor flat with a broken lift and hardly enough room for the kids to complete their schoolwork,” Nana added.
She clarified that her spouse, the only provider, recently secured employment in Singapore. In Johor, he used to make about RM1,800 (US$400) a month working for the government, but today he makes almost three times that much.
Also Read:
Transforming Business Setup in the GCC Region with PG CSP Group: Pavel Gerasimov
