The management of public flats will be conducted professionally akin to that for the management of private apartments, and the only difference would be the government subsidy
Surabaya (ANTARA) - The Surabaya municipal public housing, dwellings, and land office (DPRKPP) unveiled the plan to establish a professional management system for public flats in the city to be at par with that for private apartments.

"The management of public flats will be conducted professionally akin to that for the management of private apartments, and the only difference would be the government subsidy," the municipal office head Irvan Wahyu Dradjad said here on Tuesday.

The office will continue to streamline the management of public flats and residents' data system, including by developing an online application, he remarked.

The online application will be integrated with the municipal social office, the civil registration and population office, as well as the municipal low-income residents' data to examine public flat residents' income status and eligibility, the office head remarked.

Related news: Surabaya's 500 health protocol violators undergo antigen swab tests

"The online application will reveal the payment status and rent arrears of flat tenants. We will also integrate the application with a digital e-payment system to make it easier for tenants to pay their rent every month," Dradjad remarked.

The public housing office is considering integrating the management of public flats into the regional public service system, with officials currently scrutinizing regional laws for the proposal, the office head noted.

The agency will additionally study the feasibility of a commercial area at public flats to generate additional revenue to cover the Rp15-billion (US$1,035-million) annual maintenance cost required for a public flat, he remarked.

Related news: Eight parks in Surabaya closed to avoid Omicron spread

"We are optimistic that through our efforts, the management system in Surabaya's public flats would improve, and the flats would accommodate only eligible tenants in future," Dradjad affirmed.

While drawing attention to the latest audit in January 2022, the office head noted that the authority had come across some ineligible tenants that had rented a room in public flats despite the local government's ordinance instructing public flats to be rented only to low-income residents.

Some 87 civil apparatuses, comprising 65 active employees and 22 retirees, have rented a room in public flats despite falling in the groups that are ineligible to stay in them, he added.


Related news: Towards realizing one million more houses for people in 2022


Related news: Over 5.54 million Indonesians get booster shots

Translator: Abdul Hakim, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2022