10,000 government officials face rent notices over unpaid dues

The Ministry of Housing has issued between 8,000 and 10,000 notices to government officials over unpaid rent in just two months

Islamabad:  The Ministry of Housing has issued between 8,000 and 10,000 notices to government officials over unpaid rent in just two months as authorities step up efforts to recover outstanding dues from occupants of government houses across the country.

The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works was informed that Pakistan has around 37,000 government houses and that some officials have accumulated significant rent arrears. The ministry is now moving toward a digital rent recovery system under which unpaid amounts are expected to be deducted directly from the accounts of concerned officials according to the applicable rules.

Secretary Housing told the committee that improving rent recovery and ensuring timely payments had become a major focus of the ministry. He said the notices issued during the last two months were part of efforts to recover unpaid amounts from officials occupying government accommodation.

The committee was informed that some cases involved large outstanding amounts. Officials have therefore been reminded to clear their dues, while the ministry is working to strengthen the system so that rent payments are made regularly.

Under the planned digital system, outstanding rent will be recovered directly from the accounts of the concerned officials, in accordance with the relevant government rules. The move is aimed at reducing payment delays and making rent recovery more effective.

The development came during a meeting chaired by Senator Nasir Butt, where the committee reviewed the system for providing residential accommodation to government officials and recovering outstanding rent.

The ministry said digitalisation would help improve monitoring of rent payments and make it easier to identify officials with unpaid dues. It is also expected to reduce the need for repeated manual follow-up in rent recovery cases.

The committee stressed the need for a stronger system to ensure that government accommodation does not become a source of unpaid public dues. Timely rent recovery was highlighted as an important part of better management of government housing.

The large number of notices issued in only two months has brought the scale of unpaid rent into focus, particularly as the government manages around 37,000 houses across Pakistan.