GEORGE TOWN, Oct 7 — Penang is looking at legal options to take action against affordable housing unit owners who rented out or sold their units, said state executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo.

The state housing development committee chairman said these unit owners, who have been found to have flouted the state rules in relation to affordable housing units, will be faced with legal action.

“I have asked the state legal adviser’s office to furnish me with a legal opinion as to our legal rights and powers against such suspected individuals,” he told a press conference today.

Jagdeep, who chairs the Selection Process Enhancement Committee (SPEC), said the application form for affordable housing type A and B clearly states that these units must be occupied by the owners, and that it can only be sold after 10 years.

He said the successful applicants of affordable housing units priced RM42,000 for Type A and RM72,500 for Type B have now been required to sign statutory declarations.

These applicants are required to declare in their statutory declarations that they are first time home buyers, that their income is not more than RM2,500 for type A and RM3,500 for type B and that the units must be owner occupied.

“This is to strengthen the mechanism against abuse of these conditions set on affordable housing units,” he said.

He said if anyone has information of these owners flouting the conditions, they must report to the state housing department for them to conduct their own investigations.

“Such abuse is intolerable and those complicit with such abuse must be brought to book,” he said.

Jagdeep was responding to allegations by Parti Cinta Malaysia (PCM) that “rich” people with luxurious cars and superbikes are living in these affordable homes and that some owners are selling or renting it out.

Jagdeep claimed affordable homes abuse does not only happen in Penang but also other states.

He pointed out that former urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan had also suggested that a workshop be held to address this issue.

He claimed Abdul Rahman had issued a letter on March 4 this year pertaining this matter but to-date the ministry is yet to do anything.

The Penang lawmaker called on Putrajaya to immediately convene a meeting to address this issue so that local authorities can act against those who abused the system.