BY ALLISON LAI

SHAH ALAM: Prices of affordable serviced apartments, soho (small office, home office) and sovo (small office, versatile office) units in Selangor will now be lower for everyone following new guidelines on state property development, says state exco Datuk Teng Chang Khim (pic).

Prices of these three types of properties have been lowered for all buyers regardless of their racial background, he said.

"Under the existing practice, 10% discount is given to bumiputra buyers.

"Considering that the target group is all the same – they are all people in need – we decided to extend the discount to all by reducing the properties' ceiling price.

"We offer these properties to the lower and medium-income groups. There is no reason that bumiputras are given the discount and not non-bumiputras," he said when contacted.

He dispelled reports that the Selangor government would no longer provide a 10% discount for bumiputra buyers of such homes.

"There is no question about abolishing it (the 10% bumiputra discount) but we lowered the price and standardised it for all,'' he said.

He gave an example where the ceiling price of a piece of property had been lowered from RM300,000 to RM270,000, which would be enjoyed by all buyers starting Sept 1.

''Under the new guidelines, bumiputra buyers are not affected because they still enjoy a lower price.

''The state has also to set the selling price of these properties between RM230,000 and RM270,000,'' he said, adding that the maximum household income for eligible buyers would be revised from RM8,000 to RM15,000, allowing more people to qualify for the purchase of such homes.

Teng, who is state Industry and Commerce, Small and Medium Enterprises and Transportation executive chairman, said Selangor had received suggestions to lower the prices of affordable properties to benefit buyers from the lower and medium-income categories.

He also said that the 30% quota for bumiputra property ownership remains.

Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said that as far as affordable and low-cost homes were concerned, the need transcended race, religion, skin colour and background.

"Being less financially capable and poor cuts across races and religions. Selangor's principle is to help those with lower income to own homes.

"We have agreed on some new guidelines and they will be announced in detail by Datuk Teng and (Housing Exco) Datuk Iskandar (Abdul Samad) later," he said when met after an art programme here.