Legislature passes amendment reserving 20% of social housing for newlyweds

Taipei, Jan. 30 (CNA) The Legislative Yuan on Friday passed amendments to the Housing Act, requiring that at least 20 percent of social housing units be reserved for newlyweds within their first two years of marriage and families with minor children.

Under the amended law, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is required to set up a social housing registration platform to track demand and unit types, which will serve as a basis for future social housing development plans.

The MOI platform must be able to connect with local government social housing registration systems, allowing data to be shared for nationwide planning.

Before the amendment, the law only required that at least 40 percent of social housing units be allocated to economically or socially disadvantaged groups, without provisions for newlyweds. Also, families were previously required to have two or more minor children to be eligible for priority consideration.

To promote transparency, the amendment also requires the competent authorities to regularly collect, analyze and publish rental market data, including information on rental prices per unit of floor area (measured locally in "ping" = 3.30579 square meters).

Meanwhile, the amended law also added Article 19-1, which establishes the principle that up to 50 percent of social housing units in annual development plans should follow the government lease-and-management model.

The new Article 20-1, requires authorities to consider local population trends and housing conditions when drafting or reviewing urban plans, in order to assess social housing needs and designate land accordingly.

In a news release, Interior Minister Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said the passage of the amendments reflects consensus across party lines on expanding housing support for newlyweds and families with children.

She added that the establishment of a social housing registration platform will allow the public to access nationwide rental information and help authorities continue improving social housing policies.