Govt waives fines on Hiyaa flats amid huge backlog in unpaid rent

The government has waived the fines on outstanding rent payments for the Hiyaa towers, a government housing project run by the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) in Hulhumale’ Phase II.

HDC’s spokesperson Mohamed Siraj confirmed the decision to Sun on Sunday morning. He said that the HDC has sent letters to tenants informing them their fines have been cleared.

However, he declined to say how much the waived fines amounted to.

The tenants of Hiyaa towers had received a similar concession back in 2023. The latest waiver is for fines accumulated from January 2024 to up until November this year.

The HDC manages 8,511 government-issued flats in Hulhumale’, including the Hiyaa flats.

Information obtained by Sun under the Right to Information (RTI) Act in May showed the HDC was owed MVR 728 million in outstanding rent payments.

60 percent of tenants fail to make regular rent payments.