Some things never change.
It seems that the spending policy has remained the most important policy followed by the government for about 25 years with all sincerity and dedication. It is present when dealing with the exacerbating housing crisis and other issues in the country.
The Honorable Minister of Housing Affairs mentioned two days ago in a lecture organized by Kuwait University at the College of Architecture entitled: “Kuwait’s Housing Vision in Light of the Real Estate Developer Law” that the law “is in its final stages, and will allow families to obtain bank financing to own a home, with the possibility of financing both spouses together”
Perhaps the minister, like the government, does not follow divorce statistics where it exceeds 50% of all new marriages. Nor do they follow the income segments of citizens, except to increase their burdens. There’s no harm in presenting a “solution” that merges the necks of spouses and the Kuwaiti family with the hands of financing entities.
Merger as a financing tool is an old concept. It is a sound and natural approach when prices are fair or close to fair, with exceptional cases. It requires professional organization, management, and oversight of the land and real estate sector and market. This fundamental foundation is currently missing.
His Excellency did not present free ideas and solutions for everyone to solve the citizens’ crisis without drowning them in debt and spending. Solutions are in the hands of the Public Housing Welfare Authority that it can implement, if it wishes.
For example, changing the concept of “Kuwaiti family needs” for the nature of family housing from the current exaggerated, non-architectural, unsustainable, and extremely expensive pattern, until it becomes correct as it was in the recent past and as it is in the Gulf countries and the world.
The institution can link the citizen’s registration for government housing with their academic certificate, income level or their parents’ income, and the size of their private housing land and real estate ownership accordingly, so that it reaches those who truly need it.
The minister and the institution also have the power to prevent trading in government housing. This is done by setting a condition not to dispose of government housing, by exchange, sale, or rent, except after a certain period. Some countries set it at 5 years, and some prohibit it entirely.
Also, the institution alone, or in cooperation with the municipality of Bearin, can set special building conditions and specifications for government projects, which are successful in their housing.
The high percentages have served many in converting private housing, governmental and otherwise, into investment buildings, and then they are evaluated and traded on this basis. Far-off government housing is sold at the price of nearby housing in the open market!!
The reduction will return uses and prices to natural fair levels, improving the environment of residential neighborhoods. In parallel, it will stop the pressure on the housing crisis and housing requests. The government and supporters of government distribution on the plan have long claimed this with every housing project.
The other new thing that His Excellency mentioned recently is that developers will offer housing products at prices suitable for citizen categories.
That’s nice. Linking single-family housing prices to citizen income segments, although a late measure, is an excellent matter that should start with the lowest segment and include the open market. If state real estate prices are regulated, the market will follow.
It is also important that price linking and merging be independent of the financing issue.
That is, private housing prices should start with the lowest individual income segment, specifically the head of the family alone. Regardless of his wife’s income, financing, or merging to catch up with current inflated prices. Certainly, merging will raise prices more than they are already high. After that, shall we merge the salaries of children and domestic workers?
Finally, securing housing should not be this expensive, troublesome, and acrobatic.
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