The Government must play a facilitating role in the housing sector and allow the private sector to invest more into the area.
PNGNRI researcher for the property development research program, Professor Eugene Ezebilo, said the government should play a facilitating role and not going about building houses.
Ezebilo told Loop PNG that there should be incentives to attract private investments in residential housing and property.
“For the housing sector to be competitive, the government should develop a policy that governs the private sector.
“Government agencies should be more involved in monitoring the quality or standard of houses that have been built, and they should be involved in urban planning to see how the houses are being built.
“The government should look into how real estate agents work. Real estate agents should not be exploiting the tenants or ripping off potential house buyers,” Ezebilo said.
Ezebilo added that it’s important that these agencies should be well organised in such a way that they do not exploit the consumers. These will help address the high rentals of residential housing and residential property in the towns and cities.