Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas, Fahri Hamzah, has emphasized that buyers must exercise their right to obtain full property details and carry out due diligence before making a home purchase.
He made the statement here on Friday in response to the increasing number of unfinished or abandoned housing projects, which have caused losses to consumers.
According to Hamzah, home buyers also need to be educated about checking a property developer’s reputation, legal documents, and the estimated construction time before buying a house.
“We need to educate our people so that when they make a (home) purchase, they conduct more thorough checks. It is called consumer rights, the buyer’s rights; they must be given sufficient information and knowledge about the product they intend to purchase,” he said.
Hamzah added that cases involving stalled housing projects should be resolved through civil legal processes. In this matter, the ministry can only serve as a facilitator, as the legal proceedings are handled in court.
“We might be able to facilitate, but the number is overwhelming. Civil disputes are broad and numerous. So, it has its own area, and the courts are there for it,” he explained.
Earlier, Hamzah submitted a proposal to State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, seeking the establishment of an agency similar to state logistics agency Bulog that can act as an offtaker for subsidized housing developed by SOEs.
“I proposed to SOEs Minister Thohir to consider the establishment of a Bulog for housing,” he added.
He informed that the role of such an agency would be to purchase homes from construction companies -- much like how Bulog procures rice from farmers during harvest.
The housing Bulog will acquire homes from developers building social or subsidized housing under government authorization.
According to Hamzah, the proposal could help address the housing backlog of 15 million units.
