Residents puzzled over their apartment payment

Residents puzzled over their apartment payment

JAKARTA (JP): Residents living in low-cost apartments built
in the subdistrict of Tanah Tinggi, Central Jakarta, are confused
by the lack of information concerning payment for their
apartments.

Most of residents of the new low-cost apartments have no
idea of the value of their new property, nor do they know
anything about the monthly installments because nobody has told
them.

This has created anxiety among the residents. They have
settled into their new homes but are afraid they will be forced
to abandon them because of their inability to pay the
installments.

"Yes, I am happy with my new home. Even though it is smaller
it has a better and healthier environment. However, now I am
worried about the installments because up until now there hasn't
been any announcement about how much I have to pay," Mrs. Onah, a
resident of the apartment, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

She explained that her husband is unemployed and there is no
way he can pay the monthly installments for the two apartments
the family live in. "All of my family depend on my eldest son, he
is the only one who has a steady income," Onah said.

Tanah Tinggi low-cost housing complex used to be a slum area
which was ravaged by fire in 1993. The city administration
immediately built the apartments on the site last year as part of
its program to phase out slum areas.

The first priority for apartments was given to victims of
the fire which left 484 families of 2,590 people homeless. Four
of the six apartment blocks to be built in the area have been
completed and the remaining two are still under construction and
are expected to be completed next February.

For residents intending to live in the apartments, the city
administration did not compensate them for the land, which was
appropriated for the establishment of the apartments. These
residents are required to pay only 50 percent of the total value.
The remaining 50 percent is subsidized by the city
administration.

Commenting to the many complaints, head of the City Housing
Office Ongky Sukasah said yesterday that his office has told the
residents everything about the payments.

However, Ongky's statement was denied by Onah, who insisted,
"They did not tell me anything when I received the keys to the
apartments."

"Until now I have no idea about the compensation of my land.
And I don't know how much the installments are either," said
Chairul Amri, a resident who used to own a 100 square-meter plot.

However, he said that there is a chance that he will not
have to pay anything since his land was large enough to pay for
the three units occupied by his family.

"Somebody told me that the installments range from Rp 37,000
to Rp 180,000 per month. It will be less if the compensation is
deducted," Chairul said. (yns)