Committing to income to buy social housing, removing difficulties for workers

Filling the living space

Over the years, along with the process of infrastructure development, urban expansion, construction of expressways, airports, industrial parks... tens of thousands of households have given up land for projects for national defense, security or national and public interests.

According to the principles of the Land Law, when the State recovers land, people must be compensated, supported, and resettled, ensuring living conditions equal to or better than their old place of residence. “However, in reality, in many cases, the arrangement of resettlement houses is not timely; in some places, people have to wait for a long time while their old place of residence has been cleared” - Mr. Tran Quang Hoa - a resident in Cau Giay ward - shared.

The Government's new regulation is seen as an important step concretizing the Housing Law allowing this group of subjects to buy, lease-purchase social housing without having to draw lots, without having to prove income conditions or housing status is considered a "special priority" mechanism, aimed at filling policy gaps.

Usually, social housing is allocated according to a strict appraisal mechanism. Buyers must meet the condition of not having housing, or the average housing area is low; and must prove they belong to the low-income group according to regulations. In many localities, when the supply is limited, the allocation must also be drawn to ensure fairness.

But for people whose land is recovered, the legal nature is completely different. People who have fulfilled the obligation to give up land for common benefit according to the State's administrative decision. The loss of housing does not stem from personal needs but from development requirements. If they are still placed in a lottery mechanism, competing with other low-income groups, a paradox will arise: People who have just lost their homes must "wait for luck" to have a new place to live. Therefore, the exemption from lottery shows a consistent viewpoint: Ensuring the legitimate rights of people whose land is recovered, not pushing them into a weak position in the resettlement process.

Another important point is that people in this category do not have to meet income conditions. According to the general regulations of the 2023 Housing Law, income conditions are a key criterion to determine the subjects eligible to buy social housing. However, if applied mechanically in the case of land acquisition, inadequacies will arise.

There are households that are not low-income, but their biggest assets are houses and land. When land is recovered, they lose their place to live. If the monetary compensation is not enough to buy a commercial house, while they do not meet the income conditions to buy social housing, they may fall into a policy vacuum. Exempting income conditions in this case is not excessive favoritism, but a reasonable adjustment, focusing on the factor of "losing a place to live due to recovery", instead of just looking at nominal income levels" - economic expert Ngo Tri Long commented.

Reality shows that many projects are behind schedule due to site clearance problems. One of the important reasons is that people are worried that after land allocation, they will not have stable housing.

According to Mr. Long, humane policies always come with strict management requirements. First, it is necessary to identify the right subjects. Only apply to cases where land is recovered for national defense, security or socio-economic development for national and public interests in accordance with legal regulations; and has not been compensated with housing or residential land. Second, it is necessary to make the list and appraisal process transparent. Avoid the situation of taking advantage of policies, making untruthful declarations or expanding subjects not in accordance with regulations.

Simplifying procedures for workers

Along with the Government's Resolution, right at the beginning of 2026, the Ministry of Public Security issued a document allowing people to commit to income levels when they do not have proof papers to complete social housing purchase dossiers. This regulation is considered an important step to remove obstacles, helping many freelancers and seasonal workers no longer be "stuck" due to lack of labor contracts or payrolls.

The demand for social housing in large cities is always high, but many dossiers are stuck in the stage of income verification. According to the provisions of the Housing Law and guiding documents such as Decree 261/2025/ND-CP, low-income people in urban areas must confirm income conditions when registering to buy social housing.

In fact, a large part of workers do not have labor contracts, do not have fixed salary scales, and their income is mainly in cash. They may be small traders, technology drivers, seasonal workers in industrial parks. Their actual income is low, but they do not have documents to prove it as required by procedures.

Official Dispatch 511/C06-TTDLDC of 2026 of the Ministry of Public Security allows in cases where people do not have documents proving income, they can commit to their income level and be responsible for the declared content. On that basis, the commune-level police confirm the residence and declared content according to the prescribed form.

This adjustment point is of great significance. Instead of requiring people to present documents that the management system cannot fully provide, the policy switches to a more flexible mechanism: People self-declare, self-responsible, and functional agencies confirm within their management scope.

The beneficiaries are primarily informal workers. This is the group that has the highest demand for social housing but is most difficult to access. For them, a paperwork requirement can become a greater barrier than financial issues.

In the context that the Government sets a target of developing millions of social housing units, if procedures are not removed at the same time, the supply will increase, but people will still find it difficult to access.

Allowing self-commitment to income is a technical adjustment, but the social impact is not small. It helps bring social housing closer to the right target group, while affirming a flexible management orientation, putting people at the center of administrative reform.