If you are someone who has applied for a National Housing Development Corporation housing unit, you are not alone. Over 3,000 people across the country are waiting for the opportunity to move into a NHDCL housing unit. Thimphu, Phuentshogling, and Samdrup Jongkhar have the highest number of applicants.
In Thimphu alone, around 560 tenants have to vacate their NHDCL houses at the end of this year. According to the NHDCL, starting in 2014, a maximum period of 10 years to occupy its houses was introduced to ensure equal chances for all hopeful applicants.
Similarly, there are almost 50 tenants in Phuentshogling and about 35 tenants in Samdrup Jongkhar who will also reach the 10-year occupancy limit this year.
However, the corporation plans to let the tenants vacate the houses in a phased manner.
“In the first year that is next year, we would be issuing notice to those tenants who have properties in Thimphu, and who have reached 30 years would be the ones vacating the properties, next year. Following that we would be having phase-wise manner and every year, hundred plus tenants would be vacating the properties until the time that all the 560 tenants have vacated the quarters,” said Rinchen Wangdi, Chief Executive Officer of National Housing Development Corporation Limited.
Meanwhile, the NHDCL in one of its surprise inspections found several cases where tenants have rented their allocated houses at higher rents to others.
“We found out that about 13 tenants reported that they have sublet the properties. However, upon verification on the ground, we found that four of them were genuine cases of subletting the property. Now, these tenants have been issued notices to vacate the properties within two months of the notice period. Remaining tenants, we have given an opportunity to explain themselves and we found out that they were out of town at the time of it,” said Rinchen Wangdi, the Chief Executive Officer.
The CEO said that subletting is taken seriously as there are a lot of applicants who are ready to move in.
Meanwhile, the NHDCL continues its construction efforts, with plans to add over a thousand new units to its housing stock in the next five years. Currently, there are over 2,400 NHDCL houses across the country with the majority located in Thimphu, followed by Phuentshogling and Samdrup Jongkhar.
Kinzang Lhadon
Edited by Sherub Dorji
