Policy flaws make low-income housing unpopular

ZHENGZHOU, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- At a time when China's housing prices are beyond the reach of most prospective homeowners, low-income housing has not received the warm welcome authorities expected.

The audit office of north China's Henan province recently said that over half of the low-rent houses in the province's six cities remain empty.

The six cities have built 16,000 low-rent housing units, 8,215 of which are empty, or 51.3 percent of the total.

The provincial capital of Zhengzhou began receiving applications for 1,551 public rental housing units last December but has received only 362 applications, according to the local government.

In recent years, central and local governments have been investing in low-income housing to satisfy the needs of low-income families.

The government has vowed to build 36 million affordable housing units during the 2011-2015 period. In 2011, it started construction on 10 million units.

However, supplies of low-income housing seem to have surpassed demand in many places around the country, including the provinces of Guangdong, Hubei and Hebei.

Henan government officials said the unpopularity of low-income housing can be attributed to a lack of supporting facilities and their remote locations.

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