Low-cost apartment dwellers refuse to pay rent<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Most tenants of low-cost apartments built by the
\nCity Housing Agency during former president Soeharto's era,
\nrefuse to pay their rental fees, the agency head said on Friday.<\/p>\n
Head of the agency Irzal Z. Djamal said that in the past, the
\nauthorities asked people to move in swiftly to their apartments a
\nday before they were inaugurated, even though tenants had yet to
\nsign their rent contracts.<\/p>\n
The tenants were mostly local residents already living in
\nclose proximity to the newly built apartments. They include
\nvictims whose houses were destroyed by fire.<\/p>\n
\"We now find it difficult to evict them since we have no legal
\ncontracts with the tenants. We can't take them to court because
\nwe would lose,\" Irzal told reporters.<\/p>\n
He gave examples of the Bidaracina apartments in East Jakarta,
\ninaugurated by Soeharto, and the Tambora apartments inaugurated
\nby former vice president Try Sutrisno, both in the early 1990s.<\/p>\n
He said that the residents thought that they were granted the
\napartments.<\/p>\n
Things become more complicated as many of them rent the
\napartments to other parties.<\/p>\n
To overcome the problems, Irzal said his agency is drafting a
\nbylaw that will give the authorities a legal basis to make
\ntenants pay rental fees.<\/p>\n
Besides the Bidaracina and Tambora apartments, the city also
\nowns five other apartment buildings, in Tebet, South Jakarta, in
\nBendungan Hilir, in Jati Bunder, in Karet Tengsin, and in Tanah
\nTinggi, all in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The monthly rental fees of a low-cost apartment ranges from Rp
\n100,000 (US$10) to Rp 125,000. A unit measures between 18 square
\nmeters and 21 square meters.<\/p>\n
Irzal said his agency plans to build another low-cost
\napartment block in Kampung Legok, Cawang, East Jakarta by the end
\nof this year.<\/p>\n
His agency has provided Rp 5 billion for the appropriation of
\n5.6 hectares of land, which is still occupied by 160 families.<\/p>\n
\"These families will be prioritized when renting out
\napartments. So far we have yet to receive any objection from
\nresidents,\" he claimed.<\/p>\n
He said the agency would build a six block apartment building
\nwith 100 units in each six-story block.<\/p>\n
The construction of each block would cost Rp 8 billion.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that it can be financed by the city budget,\" he said.<\/p>\n
An apartment would be rented for Rp 125,000 a month.<\/p>\n
He said the agency would not build a car parking lot or
\nfacilities for car access to the apartment, to avoid handing over
\nthe apartments to \"rich people\".<\/p>\n
Many low-cost apartments have been sold by owners to middle-
\nincome people since the buildings often have a car parking lot
\nand are located in strategic areas. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/low-cost-apartment-dwellers-refuse-to-pay-rent-1447893297",
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