Thorough decentralization in approving social housing investment projects

On June 13, at the Government headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha chaired a meeting to give opinions on completing the draft Decree detailing a number of articles of the Housing Law.

Strictly manage multi-storey houses and apartments

Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that the biggest problem in the regulation on converting housing functions is the mechanism, policies, and procedures for converting commercial housing projects into social housing and resettlement housing. Ministries and sectors need to review legal documents to resolve this issue immediately in this Decree.

The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Construction to continue researching and simplifying the process of classifying apartments to encourage businesses to register to participate according to the criteria of green, smart, convenient, energy-saving, safe apartments... instead of focusing only on functionality.

In addition, there are appropriate forms of honor and support for ranked apartment buildings; clearly defining the responsibilities of the apartment building management board, the use of common assets, and the method of collecting and managing the maintenance fund.

Regarding regulations related to security and defense areas, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Construction to assess the impact of the regulations in practice; continue to clarify the concept, legal basis, procedures, and time for providing information on areas requiring security and defense when local authorities seek opinions to develop and adjust planning.

The Ministry of Construction clarifies the responsibilities of local authorities and ministries when approving policies and investment decisions for housing projects; stipulates transitional provisions to handle cases where foreigners have purchased houses but have not been granted ownership certificates or in areas requiring national defense and security.

In addition, housing development programs and plans must accurately assess the national housing situation, specific supply and demand for each segment, in order to regulate the market and ensure housing for people. In compliance with the principle of thorough decentralization, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that the decree assign a responsible agency, a set of procedures for appraising and approving investment policies for housing projects, without overlapping regulations with investment laws.

Regarding the Ministry of Construction separating the content of multi-storey houses and apartments into a separate chapter, in order to strictly manage individual houses, multi-storey houses, and multi-apartments for sale, rent, and multiple occupancy, the Deputy Prime Minister requested: "Individual houses combined with rentals must apply safety standards like apartment buildings."

In addition to mobilizing capital for housing projects according to the law on credit, investment, and real estate business, the Deputy Prime Minister requested to design provisions on State capital for social housing development such as public housing, housing for policy beneficiaries, the poor, etc.; forming a social housing development fund from State capital and other legal sources.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested to clarify the responsibility of the State and investors in purchasing commercial housing for resettlement purposes; to prevent the situation where localities place orders with enterprises but do not purchase, or enterprises do not complete on time or do not meet quality requirements.

Overcoming the imbalance between housing supply and demand

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyen Van Sinh said that the drafting agency has accepted and adjusted the housing development program and plan to be used as a tool to regulate the market and overcome the imbalance between supply and demand of housing.

Among them, social housing and public housing are fully included in the program and plan; it is necessary to determine the area expected to develop commercial housing types in accordance with the construction planning.

The Ministry of Construction has received comments and revised the regulations on security and defense zones. Accordingly, the Ministry of National Defense and the Ministry of Public Security are responsible for identifying and notifying the provincial People's Committees about the defense and security zones in the area, as a basis for determining the list of housing construction investment projects that foreign organizations and individuals are allowed to own, as well as in case of changes.

Representatives of the People's Committees of Quang Ninh and Lang Son provinces proposed decentralization and clarification of local responsibilities in the process of specifically defining areas to ensure national defense and security, especially at the border.

Some other contents have been accepted, explained and adjusted by the Ministry of Construction related to the order and procedures for planning public investment in housing development; consulting on appraisal of housing contents when approving investment policies for housing projects; regulations on land allocation, land lease, and change of land use purpose in accordance with the Land Law; cases where one or more investors are approved for investment policies...

Regarding public housing, the drafting agency has accepted and revised the regulations on investment in construction projects, purchase, and hire-purchase of public housing according to the law on public investment; supplemented regulations on adjusting public housing projects; and maintained the regulation that public housing projects arranged for members of the armed forces must obtain the unanimous opinion of the Ministry of Construction for projects under the Prime Minister's authority to decide on investment policies.

Delegates also discussed a number of issues regarding procedures, capital sources, and different investment policies when converting the functions and purposes of unfinished or completed housing projects; decentralization to localities in the management and use of public housing; buying and selling public housing; procedures for classifying apartment buildings; and management and operation of apartment buildings.