Plans for 'no frills' homes

KELANA JAYA: Malaysia is mulling to build its first affordable "no frills" houses so that the rakyat can own homes of their own.

Mooted by the Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia and the Housing and Local Government Ministry, the house will be 30 per cent cheaper and will be custom-finished by the owner.

Immediate past president Datuk Ng Seing Liong said the house will be "naked" but equipped with basic amenities such as the kitchen and the toilet but there will be no partitions to segregate the rooms.

"This is to allow owners to choose to have two or three rooms, depending on the owner's marital status or the number of children," Ng told reporters here yesterday at a roundtable on "Housing Affordability - Issues and Challenges".

Ng said the no frills house will be 30 per cent cheaper than the current affordable home price tag of between RM80,000 and RM350,000.

Ng said the concept is not new and has been introduced in China and the Philippines. He said all parties are discussing on it at the moment.

Minister of Housing and Local Government Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung said the no frills home is one of the sectors innovative ways to build affordable homes.

Housing is a very serious problem worldwide, especially for the middle class. Even ministers in China find it difficult to buy homes despite it being a socialist country.

By Business Times