Residents earning less than the provincial minimum wage (UMP) may not be able to buy an apartment under the zero down-payment scheme, Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno said on Monday.

“It seems [those earning less than the UMP] cannot be included in the Rp zero down-payment scheme. Therefore, he said, the administration’s involvement will be needed to provide other options,” Sandiaga said, referring to the housing scheme with apartment prices ranging between Rp 185 million (US$12.950) and Rp 320 million.

Therefore, he said, the city administration would consider other options so everyone could buy a house. “One of the options is to build low-cost apartments [Rusunawa],” Sandiaga told kompas.com.

According to Sandiaga, those earning less than the UMP of Rp 3.6 million would be allowed to rent a Rusunawa for a certain period of time. If the tenants consistently paid their rent on time, they could earn ownership rights to the apartment after the rental period ended.

“As for now, the Jakarta Public Works and Housing Agency is still researching and calculating the cost for the housing payment scheme,” he said.

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan launched the construction of two apartment towers under the housing program in Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta last week and assured that the houses would be made available for those with salaries under Rp 7 million per month. (dpk)