Housing Authority to sell 200 units

Last Friday, the Housing Authority announced the sale of almost 200 more units of affordable housing for families with children, engaged couples, single people with disabilities, some other single people, as well as for those who have suffered or are suffering some form of chronic mental illness.

These units are spread across Malta and Gozo with particular concentrations in Pembroke, Qawra, St Paul's Bay, Bugibba and many other localities.

Although the majority of units are three-bedroomed, there are units with two bedrooms and with one for sale too, reflecting the Housing Authority's decision a few years ago to start building smaller units, to reflect the demographic changes in Maltese families. These are coming on stream now.

The price of these units is generally around 33 per cent less than the commercial price, with one bedroom units averaging around Lm12,000 and three bedroom units around Lm18,000 to Lm22,000.

Besides subsidising the price the Housing Authority also help with subsidising the loan through the two banks which have signed an agreement with the authority, namely HSBC and Bank of Valletta.

Staff from these two banks are there to give advice when potential buyers come to view the plans of these properties at Habitat Hall Floriana (this weekend and next), opposite Boffa Hospital.

The plans can be viewed until November 1 - banks and Housing Authority staff will be there to answer any queries on these two weekends.

In this way the actual outgoings for families who are buying from the Housing Authority are reduced as much as possible and they can buy a home for what is fast becoming the cost of renting somewhere reasonable in Malta and Gozo today.

Families with a disabled member who live with them are also able to apply for grants of up to Lm800 to make these homes suited to the particular disability or Lm1,200 to install a stairlift.

It is worth remembering that while the Housing Authority has reserved homes for disabled people for years, it has only been recently that disabled people have actually taken up their allocations.

This has partly been due to offering more choice as well as including single people in the category of those who can benefit, as well as better co-ordination with the National Commission for People with Disabilities who have always given us valuable feedback.

Three main changes have been made to this issue. Firstly, the Housing Authority is for the first time also including single people as a category who can benefit from these subsidies, recognising that not everyone who needs help is part of a married or engaged couple.

Secondly, although the authority has given disabled people priority and preference for years, mental disability was not included. This has been done to reflect the reality that those whose lives have been partly blighted by mental illness may find it harder to maintain well-paid jobs and hence have more affordability problems.

Last but not least, is also some help and priority for women who can afford to buy but are stuck in court cases with partners who will not let go and who use all legal means to delay separations, particularly where there has been emotional and physical violence.

Those who wish to buy must show some evidence of how they plan to finance the loan or where the cash is coming from if they are cash buyers. The Housing Authority cannot afford to waste time processing applications and then be told there is no form of financing. For single people the income cannot exceed Lm6,000 and for couples Lm8,500 (but the Housing Authority only considers half the income of the person who earns less). Capital assets cannot exceed Lm15,000 for couples and Lm7,500 for single people.

Over the last few years, the Housing Authority has not only improved (in partnership with the Department of Building and Construction) the appearance of these units of affordable housing, but has also made significant policy changes to ensure the client base of these properties is widened to those who really need the subsidy today.

The process of improvement was and is an ongoing one.