Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has started collecting rent for Hiyaa flats. The collection of rent from Hiya flats has been postponed thrice earlier.
Hiya is the largest public housing project in Hulhumale' Phase II, which began as 7,000 housing units. However, the number of units has since decreased to 6,720 to accommodate over 25,000 people after reviewing allocated floor space for commercial purposes.
The agreement for the flats was signed with the owners of the flats in July last year. At the time, the government decided to start collecting rent after a period of three months for the finishing work of the flats. The government postponed the deadline until the end of October 2021. However, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih later decided to extend the deadline until March 2022.
Eight months have passed since the Hiya flats were handed over, and HDC has now begun collecting rent from the flats. HDC has begun accepting the rent and maintenance fee for the flats from April 1, as per the agreement signed by the tenants. The government has allocated USD504 as rent for Hiya housing units, with an additional USD64 as a maintenance fee.
A large population has shifted to Hulhumale' Phase II to live in the Hiya flats. Meanwhile, HDC and other authorities are working to provide basic services in the area.