Housing Development Corporation (HDC) Managing Director Ali Zuhair stated that 50 percent of tenants across flats in Hulhumale' in Social Housing Schemes have not been paying their rent. 

In the "Ahaashey Bunaanan" program from Voice of Maldives, Zuhair said HDC manages more than 12,000 flats and 50 percent of them have tenants who have not been paying their rent.

"We manage more than 12,000 flats. 50 percent of the tenants from that figure have not been paying their rent due to various reasons, such as financial difficulties," said Zuhair.

HDC said last year that with the change they brought at the time, they started sending notices every three months to tenants who do not pay their flat rent, and is a notice in the form of "Permanent Advice", meant to advise them to pay their rent. 

Of the people who have not been paying their rent for Hulhumale' flats, this includes those who have never paid rent upon moving into the flat and those who do not pay their rent regularly. 

HDC acquired information through the Right to Information Act whereby the unpaid rent amount had gone beyond MVR 700 million, with HDC sharing this information with the "Sun" media organization last year.

Zuhair said that HDC is working to check whether rent is being paid by flat tenants. He said that as of now, HDC has gone to all of the Hiyaa flats and checked the premises, and that their priority is to inform the owner of the flat to evict expatriates from the flat.  

He also said that if they notice such a situation, they send a letter to inform flat owners of the matter.