The Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) will soon commence construction of flats that it will let out on rent in Padikuppam and Thiruvanmiyur.
According to official sources, a total of 318 apartments are to come up on 2.38 acres in Padikuppam and 136 apartments on 1.53 acres of land at Thiruvanmiyur.
The cost of both the projects would be Rs. 78 crore, with Rs. 55 crore allotted for the Padikuppam project.
Considering the demand for rented houses, the board, after a gap of about 30 years, has taken up these proposals. In Thiruvanmiyur, the site is located in Rajaji Nagar and in Padikuppam, near Golden Flats. Project management consultants have been appointed for managing the projects. Though most houses would have a two-bedroom configuration, at Thiruvanmiyur, single-bedroom flats too have been planned.
Currently, the board has 885 apartments in 15 locations in Chennai including Lloyds Colony, Old Tower Block in Nandanam, CIT Nagar and Foreshore Estate.
The board lets out houses to government employees and charges them the actual House Rent Allowance (HRA) and a certain percentage of the basic pay, termed as government rental.
Members of the public who wish to rent a house can apply under the public quota at the housing department. In case of a waiting list, renewal of application would be necessary to maintain the seniority. The rent, calculated on a sq. ft. basis, would increase every year.
“The advantage with a board rental house is that there is no specific deadline to vacate the house. There is no landlord. The maintenance of the buildings is done by the board. A certain percentage of the rent goes towards this,” explained an official.
