Special mechanisms for social housing.

On May 20th, the Government is expected to submit to the National Assembly a draft Resolution on piloting a number of specific mechanisms and policies to promote the development of social housing. In the context of increasing pressure on housing for low-income earners, this is a step in the right direction, demonstrating the State's strong determination to realize the goal of developing 1 million social housing units by 2030, contributing to ensuring social security.

In the draft resolution, a number of long-standing bottlenecks have been identified and solutions proposed for their complete resolution. If these policies are approved by the National Assembly and effectively implemented, the time required to complete social housing projects could be shortened from 375 to 525 days – a significant figure that will help accelerate supply and create new momentum for the real estate market serving the majority of the population.

Specifically, the mechanism for selecting investors without bidding for projects that meet the criteria according to the land use plan will help reduce the process by nearly 200 days compared to the current procedure. The thorough decentralization of authority to local governments, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Public Security in approving investment policies and assigning investors also represents a shift from a "request-and-grant" system to one of "empowerment and responsibility," minimizing bottlenecks caused by overlapping and hierarchical approval mechanisms.

Furthermore, proposals to waive feasibility study review procedures, exempt construction permits for projects using standardized designs, streamline planning processes, and apply simplified direct contracting for public-funded projects demonstrate a spirit of "substantive cost reduction" rather than superficial improvements. The proposal to remove bottlenecks in the price and rental appraisal process by allowing investors to hire independent consultants to appraise prices before state agencies conduct inspections and post-audits is another effort to balance the requirements of transparency, control, and proactiveness in investment and business.

However, precisely because these policies are specific in nature, expanding authority and cutting numerous administrative procedures that were considered "safety barriers," the risk of abuse should not be underestimated. Direct delegation of power without accompanying checks and balances easily leads to profiteering, the formation of "interest groups," the misallocation of resources, and the resulting waste and loss of public resources.

No one denies the need for special mechanisms to address the long-standing problem of social housing without an effective solution. However, such special mechanisms are only valuable if they are accompanied by appropriate monitoring tools. Lessons from previous preferential policies such as land allocation, preferential credit, and public investment allocation show that when control mechanisms are lax, policies are easily distorted, and humanitarian goals are easily exploited for personal gain.

Therefore, along with thorough decentralization, delegation of power, and strong procedural reforms, the draft Resolution needs to clearly establish a mechanism for "preventing privilege" by assigning the Government the task of designing a system to prevent risks, negative practices, and abuse of policies. During the process of drafting and issuing detailed guidelines for the National Assembly's resolution, mandatory post-audit regulations and specific, clear penalties for violations must be included.

Social housing is not just a place to live for low-income people; it is also a symbol of social welfare policy and a measure of the State's concern for workers. Once approved by the National Assembly, the draft Resolution on piloting specific mechanisms and policies to promote the development of social housing could become a major boost for the housing market. However, the true viability of the resolution will depend on how we build mechanisms to prevent risks and negative consequences, and to prevent policy abuse; and how effectively we implement and monitor policy implementation.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/co-che-dac-thu-cho-nha-o-xa-hoi-10372857.html