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The Penang government has begun issuing eviction notices to ineligible tenants occupying public housing units, following rental arrears that have exceeded RM2 million across its subsidised housing schemes.

State housing committee chairman S. Sundarajoo said the state recently launched a tenant regularisation exercise aimed at updating records and ensuring that only genuinely eligible low-income families continue to benefit from temporary rental assistance.

According to Sundarajoo, Penang’s four People’s Housing Programme (PPR) schemes — PPR Taman Manggis, PPR Taman Bagan Jaya, PPR Mak Mandin and PPR Permatang Tok Suboh — comprise 999 units, with 934 currently occupied. Of these, 268 units have accumulated rental arrears totalling RM254,633.

Meanwhile, under the State Rental Housing (RSKN) scheme, 907 out of 1,591 occupied units are in arrears, involving RM1.77 million.

As part of the first phase of enforcement, 18 eviction notices have been issued to confirmed ineligible residents at Taman Manggis.

Sundarajoo said the low monthly rental rate of RM124, inclusive of maintenance fees, was intended as short-term assistance for a three-year tenancy, subject to renewal based on genuine need. However, some tenants have reportedly remained in the units for decades, with certain families occupying the homes for up to 20 years.

He noted that more than 1,000 applicants remain on the waiting list, some having waited years for a unit, making it crucial for long-term occupants who are no longer eligible to make way for others in need.

The state will next inspect tenants who have stayed beyond the three-year period. Cross-checks with Employees Provident Fund data have allegedly uncovered discrepancies in income declarations, while recent site visits also raised concerns over residents owning multiple or even luxury vehicles despite claiming low household incomes.

Still, the state said genuine hardship cases would be considered through an appeal process, with short-term monthly extensions of up to six months possible.

The move echoes a similar enforcement exercise in 2019, when several Taman Manggis residents staged a sit-in protest at Komtar after receiving eviction notices, amid allegations that some tenants had already purchased homes or were subletting the low-cost units for profit.

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