Migrants eligible for capital's govt housing

Migrants in Beijing will have access to public rental housing from December, according to municipal housing authorities Wednesday. It is the first time the capital has offered government-subsidized housing to migrant workers.

Applicants, whose families have no property in Beijing, need a minimum one-year work experience, a stable salary, a temporary residence permit and a social insurance or housing fund certificate. There are no restrictions on age or income, although standards may vary in different districts.

Public rental houses, mostly around 40- to 60-square-meters, will be offered to qualified applicants chosen by lottery. The contract will normally last three years, up to a maximum of five.

"These houses are for families in a transitional period when they are saving to buy a house, and for fresh graduates and those who just started working," said Zou Jinsong with the Beijing Municipal Commission of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Beijing News reported.

Although there is no fixed bottom line on how long applicants should have worked in Beijing, Zou said the standard may be stricter in older districts where there are plans to relocate residents, while in areas like Zhongguancun, Haidian district, the standard could be relaxed to attract talented employees, Zou said.

"It's a good thing for migrants in Beijing that more of them can benefit from government-subsidized housing," said Chen Zhi, Deputy Secretary-in-Chief of the Beijing Real Estate Association.

The policy appears to be aimed at professional and white-collar workers, while poorer migrants may be excluded.
"It's not fair for the government that any migrant worker can ask for a cheap place to live," Chen said.