After claiming to have conducted a 'verification' process for more than a year, while hundreds of previous flat recipients were removed from the newly publicized flat list, this time, flats have been awarded to couples this time round.

Speaking to RaajjeMV on the condition of anonymity, a source revealed that in the flat list released by the former administration of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), initially only the wife from the couple received a flat, and in the list released this time round, the husband has also scored 75 points. Therefore, according to the newly released list, both spouses will receive flats.

According to information received, some parties have also noted other cases where both spouses were awarded flats.

Many issues have been identified in the newly publicized list of flat recipients, which disqualifies numerous previous flat recipients for not meeting eligibility criteria.

When government offices resumed services on Monday, several individuals headed to the housing ministry to file complaints. Some of those who visited the housing ministry highlighted issues including cases where both spouses were separately allocated flats.

Speaking to members of the public who visited the housing ministry at Dharubaaruge, State Minister Ibrahim Nazeem said that according to the policy announced by the former administration, it was not an issue.

Although Nazim criticized the former administration to show that giving flats to married couples was done properly, the former administration’s policy was to make one spouse agree to give up their flat if both spouses received flats. The MDP administration had also highlighted that this was done with the intention of providing flats to as many families as possible.

As Nazeem said, the announced policy does not explicitly state that flats would not be given to married couples. The wonder of it is that some people who were removed from the flat list have noted that while certain articles of the flat policy were interpreted as desired, other policies were not properly examined to determine what they actually contained.

The incumbent administration of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has taken back the flats of several individuals who had received flat numbers, tower numbers, registrations and agreements, claiming that some documents submitted to prove the duration of residence in the capital Malé City were not specified in the policy. Many have noted that the guidelines do not specifically state that submissions must only be made from certain places.

According to the document submitted to prove that they have been continuously living in Malé City for 15 years, the document presented as evidence of residing in a property in Malé City is not listed as an acceptable document in the Housing Portal under the scheme. This was the reason the incumbent administration has determined that a flat recipient did not meet the eligibility criteria.

Some parties have expressed concern that the incumbent administration of President Muizzu, who claims to be a champion of decentralization, does not accept documents issued by councils.

While the incumbent administration has treated those whose documents were deemed valid by the previous administration and even allocated flats to, the criteria announced by the former administration stated "the following documents may be submitted to prove continuous residence in Malé". This was followed by types of documents that could be submitted, presented in those guidelines.

While the policy mentions documents related to employment in Malé, documentation from educational institutions like colleges, universities and schools, and pension-related documents, it does not state that other types of documents cannot be submitted.

Several people believe there is no room to claim that documents cannot be submitted beyond those marked on the list. Speaking to RaajjeMV while highlighting issues with the flat list, an anonymous source said that those who are most in need may not be the ones who can obtain documentation from government offices, private institutions, or universities and colleges.

The person stressed that there are many people in Malé who have been living in rented accommodations for 20-25 years, including taxi drivers, fishermen, private Quran teachers, and those who make a living as food vendors. The person said that the former administration determined that these people met the requirements simply based on the submitted documents being in order.