Merger between PRB and Housing Authority

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Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Premila Kumar speaking in Parliament on Monday, February 17, 2020. Picture: SUPPLIED/FIJIAN PARLIAMENT

THE Public Rental Board is being merged with Housing Authority as part of the authority’s reforms.

This was revealed by the Minister for Industry, Trade, Tourism, Local Government, Housing and Community Development, Premila Kumar, in Parliament on Wednesday.

“We believe, Mr. Speaker sir, that this merger will allow logical investment, reduce overhead costs, and improve efficiencies,” she said.

“With the demand for housing increasing by the day, another reason of the merger is to allow for developing new products and technologies.

“The Housing Authority is also digitising its services to become more efficient in their service delivery.”

Mrs Kumar said these included online access to applications and application tracking system, balance checking and online repayments.

“Automation will increase the accessibility to the Housing Authority products and also those who wish to assist their relatives from overseas in meeting repayments.

“Reforms are also taking place in the manner capital projects are handed by Housing Authority.

“We have seen cases where Housing Authority could not build roads as per Fiji Roads Authority standards, which means such roads remain with Housing Authority and not transferred to FRA.”

Housing Authority had also worked closely with FRA, the Water Authority of Fiji and Energy Fiji Ltd to ensure standards were also being met, she said.

Mrs Kumar added memorandums of understanding had been signed with the Fiji National Provident Fund and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Services to strengthen the due diligence process through sharing of customer information.

“These changes have resulted in significant improvements in the service delivery and prevents fraud where applicants lie about their household income to obtain a plot,” she said.

“Regarding affordability, Mr. Speaker Sir, Housing Authority launched new home packages in November 2019 called the ‘Totoka Dina Package’ for different income groups where interest rates differ according to the household income.”

The three categories are: household income of $30,000 and below, household income between $30,000-$50,000, and current Housing Authority customers with household income above $50,000 (this does not apply to new customers).

The three packages are stated to offer lending rates from as low as 3.95 per cent to 6.99 per cent over time.

It was mentioned these products were mainly funded through the Reserve Bank of Fiji’s concessional lending facility for affordable housing.

According to Mrs Kumar, so far the Housing Authority had drawn $15 million from this facility and applied for another $9 million to meet future demand.

“Housing Authority as a statutory body continues to improve the lives of every Fijian citizen in Fiji by developing land and by giving loans to buy land or build their dream homes,” she said.

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