“Faking Poverty to Exploit Social Housing Benefits”

A recent audit by the Hai Phong City Inspectorate has revealed that nearly 10% of the files reviewed for four social housing projects did not meet the eligibility criteria for purchasing homes. This issue has been a significant concern for local residents.

Disguised Low-Income Claims

According to the Hai Phong City Inspectorate, authorities randomly inspected 155 files across three social housing projects: 384 Le Thanh Tong, Total Warehouse 3 Lac Vien (both in Ngo Quyen Ward), 39 Luong Khanh Thien (Gia Vien Ward), and the An Dong low-income housing complex (An Hai Ward).

At the 39 Luong Khanh Thien social housing project, developed by Hai Phong Railway Car Company, two cases of deception were found among the 50 files reviewed. Specifically, Ms. Nguyen Thi T. and her husband, Mr. Luong Manh T., falsely claimed to work at Company S, where they neither worked nor received salaries. Mr. Luu Quang T. declared an income below VND 15 million per month, but tax records showed significantly higher earnings (over VND 24.6 million in 2023 and over VND 35.7 million in 2024, disqualifying him from social housing eligibility).

At the Total Warehouse 3 Lac Vien social housing project, developed by Thai Holding Company, inspections of 50 files revealed that Ms. Hoang Ngoc A. and her husband, Mr. Do Hoang H., provided false information. Mr. H. claimed to be self-employed, but social insurance and tax records showed he was employed and contributing to social insurance at Hai Phong University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital.

Violations were also noted at the An Dong low-income housing complex, developed by PG Investment and Construction Company. Inspections of 25 files uncovered three cases of false employment declarations and one case of concealed actual income (over VND 15 million declared as only VND 11.3 million).

Notably, the 384 Le Thanh Tong social housing project, developed by Binh Phat Electrical Materials Company, had a high violation rate. Of the 30 files inspected, seven cases involved false declarations regarding employment and income eligibility.

Firm Action to Recover

The Hai Phong City Inspectorate concluded that out of the 155 files reviewed across the four projects, 25 cases of social housing purchases contained inaccurate information. Despite requests for verification from relevant agencies, the inspection team lacked sufficient evidence to confirm eligibility by the audit’s end.

Additionally, a spot check of 40 social housing units already handed over at the 384 Le Thanh Tong project revealed several issues. Only nine units were occupied by the contract holders; five were occupied by non-contract holders. Notably, the owners of the remaining 26 units were uncooperative and refused to engage with the inspection team.

The Inspectorate emphasized that social housing development is a key policy of the Party, State, and Hai Phong City government to ensure welfare for low-income individuals. Therefore, those who exploit loopholes or provide misleading information to purchase social housing must be strictly penalized for policy abuse.

The Hai Phong City Inspectorate has recommended that the City People’s Committee direct the Department of Construction to guide developers in recovering and terminating contracts for 14 social housing units sold to ineligible buyers. The Department of Construction must collaborate with developers to thoroughly review the 25 unclear files; if ineligibility is confirmed, contracts must be terminated, and units recovered as per regulations.