Govt should intervene in home ownership dilemma

Editor,Please allow me to respond to Sunny Ntayombya’s article, “Owning a home in Kigali: Should we even bother?”, published in The New Times on November 27.I personally think that without government’s intervention, housing or real estate prices will continue on an upward trend. Why can’t the government initiate tax cuts on building materials to address this puzzle? This of course will come with a downside but I think the government should weigh the options and make it possible for low-and middle-income earners to own homes.To be honest, I still don’t understand how Rwandans afford the mansions that I see when I visit Kigali. The pace at which these expensive houses are built is crazy.I’m sure the government can seriously do something on the price of construction materials, especially home-made ones.Zuzu, Vancouver, Canada*****************************If everyone follows Mr Ntayombya’s advice, even tenants will end up with no houses to rent. I suggest real estate owners should look into how they can put up apartments and let low-income earners pay in installments at a certain rate.The advice is that people should look at a house as an investment. Even if you get a loan (which is not even easy to get), to build or buy the house, it’s better than renting.What will happen to the renting couple when they’ve been sacked from their jobs and yet they have to pay rent? Remember most of us, due to historical background, have no even parents or villages to escape to for help.OB, Kigali*****************************I thank The New Times for raising the subject about owning your own home in Rwanda.For me, I think that we should have a national dialogue about it. Rwanda is already the most densely populated country in Africa. The population is expected to reach 20 million in 2030. We simply don’t have the land for the current housing development. It is not sustainable.I believe in this case we should follow the example of Singapore, another very densely populated country.Please refer to the Wikipedia page on public housing in Singapore. About 85% of Singaporeans live in housing estates. These housing estates are publicly governed and developed. About 80% of them own their own flats. Singapore public housing owes its success to strong support from the government both financial and legal.A feasibility study about a public housing board should be initiated. Decent housing for the population is such an important national objective that it should not be left to the mercy of purely commercial interests.Rashid Swaleh, New York, United States

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Govt should intervene in home ownership dilemma