Malaysia’s public housing policy does not provide an exit plan for those living in social housing, leaving them trapped within the system, a study by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) found.

The report, launched today, found dwellers of projek perumahan rakyat (PPR) - public housing schemes - are unable to find better or suitable housing in the private market, even when their economic conditions have improved.

Public housing is generally meant for households earning less than RM3,000 a month; however, it is found even the minority of those who earn more than that cannot afford to move out of public housing.

KRI researchers, who surveyed five PPR housing complexes in Kuala Lumpur and Penang, found dwellers are stuck in public housing if they want to remain living in the same locality because they just cannot afford to rent in the private market in the same area.

This is based on data collected of comparable properties...