The government has extended the grace period for Hiyaa flats by additional three months.
The government handed over the social housing units built under the Hiyaa scheme to its recipients without completing the finishing works such as tiling, wiring, etc. Three rent-free months were granted as grace period to the recipients to complete the works at their own expense. While the grace period was to expire on January 1, several tenants of the social housing units have been calling for an extension on the grace period and planning protests.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih announced the decision to extend the grace period at a function held Sunday night to mark National Unity Day. During his remarks, the president said flat recipients, who were to begin paying rent next January, will start paying rent in April 2022.
Speaking at the function, the president said his administration would be responsive to the people's demands and would work to match the government's actions to the peoples' needs. Validating the complaints of flat recipients, the president said no rent would be charged on the units for the next three months.
President Solih further acknowledged that citizens faced several financial challenges when the administration handed over the apartments to them without completing the finishing works. He said he understood the burden of paying rent on top of completing the flats.
A monthly rent of MVR 7,500 in addition to a maintenance fee of MVR 1,000 is charged for the two-bedroom Hiyaa units.
