PUTRAJAYA (Feb 13): The MyHome programme will be launched in April to enable qualified applicants to get a subsidy up to RM30,000 to buy selected low-cost housing units, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.  

The prime minister said the National Housing Council (NHC) at its first meeting chaired by him today agreed to allocate RM300 million under the MyHome (Private Affordable Ownership Housing Scheme) programme for the purchase of 10,000 houses this year.

Under the programme, he said qualified applicants could purchase the units at a price defined as low-cost by the respective state government while the balance would be borne by the government.

"For instance, if the price of low-cost houses is fixed at RM40,000 a unit by a state government while the developers have to sell them at RM70,000 each, qualified applicants will be able to buy it at RM40,000 while the balance RM30,000 will be paid by the government," he told a news conference after chairing the council's meeting at Perdana Putra here today.

The prime minister said among the conditions were applicants must earn less than RM3,000 a month and not allowed to sell the unit within 10 years of purchase.

He said developers could apply to a special committee under the Housing and Local Government Ministry to join the programme.

Once approved, they could advertise the units eligible for the subsidy that would be paid directly to them by the government, he added.

"This will enable prospective buyers to benefit from this scheme, and make it easier for them to get a bank loan as they are already eligible for consideration," he said.

Meanwhile, Najib said the meeting also decided to develop the MyHome Exchange, a comprehensive database on the housing sector.

He said the database would be very useful to the government to enable the NHC to obtain accurate and comprehensive information in determining the direction and development of the housing industry, and the supply and demand of housing units.

Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan, when met later, said the MyHome Exchange, which would be launched in the next three or four months, would act as a one-stop information centre on housing projects.

"It's different from websites like iproperty.com as MyHome Exchange will have a comprehensive database, including the status of a housing project, for example, whether a housing project is 30 per cent or 50 per cent completed," he said.

He said its database would also have information on private developers, government housing initiatives such as PR1MA, SPNB, 1MDB, and the National Housing Department.

The setting up of the National Housing Council, announced in the 2014 Budget, is aimed at monitoring, coordinating and formulating initiatives to ensure that the government's aspiration to build one million affordable homes within the next five years could be achieved.