Plan to increase house rental being considered

The National Housing Corporation is planning to submit a new policy to allow for an increase in rental rates to keep up with the times.
Acting managing director Kenneth Cooke said on Friday that they were hoping to present the new policy to the National Executive Council to make a decision by June this year.
“Currently, the policy which is from some 20 years ago has a ceiling on the rental rates,” he said.
“People are currently paying K23 to K60 and some as low as K5 for rent,” he said.
Cooke said that the rents were not enough to keep up with maintaining properties or paying for water bills.
“We are working on presenting a policy that will at least help us to make enough to keep maintaining the properties.”
Cooke said he understood that NHC’s mandated duty was to provide affordable houses for the people but the corporation also needed money to function and keep up with maintaining the properties and paying its bills.