Applicants for 'National Housing' Receive Warning Texts, Deletion and Penalties Awaiting Applicants

Iranian media has reported the sending of 'warning texts' by the Tehran Province Road and Urban Development Administration to applicants of the 'National Housing Movement', stating that this occurs while applicants have been depositing their contributions for three years. The news agency 'Imna' wrote in a report that the message sent states: 'Dear applicant of the National Housing Movement, considering the commencement of the execution operations of the National Housing Movement projects and the acceleration of the physical progress of the project, it is necessary to complete your contribution up to 230 million tomans by the date of 11 Mordad 1403.' According to this media outlet, the text emphasizes that 'failure to deposit the amount by the specified deadline will result in project suspension, increased final costs, and harm to the applicants.' The ISNA news agency also addressed this issue, stating that people who deposited their first installment in 1399 were supposed to receive the housing they dreamed of two years later according to the contract, but as the delivery date approached, there was still no news of the houses. ISNA reported that these contracts were accompanied by increased construction costs, yet applicants continued to pay their share but ultimately had to protest. According to ISNA, the last protest gathering occurred a few days ago in Shahrekord in front of the governor's office, where several applicants set up tents and demanded accountability from officials. This comes as a Tehran newspaper reported on 12 Ordibehesht that half of the applicants for 'National Housing' had withdrawn due to their inability to pay installments. The newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' stated in its issue on Wednesday, 12 Ordibehesht, that so far, 'about 5 million applicants for the National Housing plan have been identified, but due to weak purchasing power and repeated price jumps, they have not been able to purchase housing according to market mechanisms.' Last November, Voice of America reported, citing Iranian media, that the increase in the final cost of 'National Housing' from 4 million tomans to 15 million tomans and the critical livelihood situation had caused applicants to be unable to pay their 'contribution.' This issue has led media to report that workers are at risk of being removed from the 'National Housing Plan.' According to this report, in the 'National Housing Plan,' which was one of Ebrahim Raisi's promises during the 1400 elections, not only workers are at risk of removal. In this context, the newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad wrote last November that two years into the plan to build one million homes per year, the effective supply was 600,000 units, and effective demand was 650,000 people. The newspaper emphasized that the 'National Housing' construction plan became two years old; however, both 'on-site demand' and 'construction volume' are less than half of the approved target. Mohammad Reza Koocheh, the head of the Parliament's Civil Commission, also reported in Farvardin of this year that the 'National Housing Movement' has stopped at 25% progress, stating that due to rising rates and currency market fluctuations, the cost of housing construction is no longer predictable. The latest official report on housing prices in Iran shows that the average price per square meter in the capital reached 86 million tomans in Khordad 1403. Experts believe that 'National Housing' will not lead to any results, and the fate of withdrawing 2 billion dollars from the 'National Development Fund' alongside over 10,000 hectares of surplus land identified for this purpose will ultimately remain uncertain. Protests by a number of applicants for the National Housing plan occurred in front of the Urban Development Administration in Sanandaj. Protests by applicants for 'National Housing' occurred in front of the Urban Development Deputy of the Governor's Office in Arak. An 800 million toman housing loan with a profit of 2.1 billion tomans. A newspaper's account of government data fabrication; the statistics from the Central Bank and the Statistical Center regarding a '24% decrease in inflation' are fabricated. Workers' wage benefits have decreased. The increase in 'housing rights' for workers has been canceled. The Central Bank of Iran: The average housing price in Tehran has reached 82 million tomans. Half of the applicants for 'National Housing' have withdrawn.