Press Digest - Low-cost home occupants renting their units for profit

PETALING JAYA: Several occupants of the Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR) have been found to abuse it to gain quick profits by renting their units to others including foreigners.
A check conducted by Berita Harian revealed that many of the original occupants earned between RM500 and RM700 a month by renting their houses to outsiders.
For example, some occupants in PPR Pudu Ulu were identified renting a room at a rate of RM200 per month, and a house between RM700 and RM800 per month, the Malay daily reported today.
Such dealings are profitable considering occupants of the PPR were only needed to pay the government a sum of RM124 per month for a single unit.
A local met at PPR Pudu Ulu admitted being in contact with foreigners who were believed to be renting units in the building.
The local, who refused to be identified, however was unsure which units had been rented to the foreigners.
A foreigner working in a nearby grocery shop admitted renting one of the units in the PPR, but refused to elaborate.
Meanwhile, the National Housing Department director-general Datuk Mohamad Yusoff Ghazali said PPR occupants could face serious action, including revocation of their rights to the houses, if found renting to outsiders.
He added the department would not hesitate to issue a warning or termination notice immediately to occupants found abusing their benefit.