The Department of Housing is mandated by government to promote the provision of decent, sustainable, quality housing and efficient urban development services in Malawi. It also coordinates human settlement issues in collaboration with international organisations such as UN human settlements programme (UN-Habitat) and shelter Africa.

Mandate
To provide office space to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) as well as exempted institutions. It fulfills its mandate through; constructing, managing office blocks and institutional houses as well as renting office blocks and houses from private landlords.
Objectives 
  • To manage national housing legal framework
  • To provide adequate and suitable office and housing accommodation to government and public servants throughout Malawi.
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING

The department has evolved to Department of Housing over many years under various ministries. It became prominent when it was accorded the status of a ministry in 2002 before reverting back to the status of a department in 2004 under Ministry of Lands, Housing and Physical Planning. In 2007, the department was transferred to Ministry of Transport and Public Works only to revert back to the status of a ministry called Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in 2008. On June 14th, 2009, it once again assumed the status of a department under the Ministry of Lands and Housing.

 

  • To facilitate the provision of quality, cost effective and timely built and environment infrastructure and management of government buildings.
  • To facilitate access to affordable, safe secure urban housing for all income groups.
  • To create an enabling environment to encourage investment in urban housing by local and foreign investors.  
  • To Coordinate human settlements with international organizations
 
Public Notices
Please Note!
The ministry of Lands through the Department of Housing is in the process of reviewing the Safer House Construction Guidelines (SHCGs) that been using since 2015 in order to better address issues of resilience to all kinds of disasters. The Ministry is therefore seeking input from all stakeholders to make the document more relevant and responsive to the changes in building technology and construction techniques so as to fully adopt the Build Back Better concept.

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Sections Under the Department of Housing
PUBLIC SERVICE HOME OWNERSHIP SCHEME
The Public Service Home Ownership Treasury Fund Scheme was established through a general notice No 29 of 19th April, 1994. The Fund was established in order to finance a home ownership scheme for public servants. 

The Scheme enable eligible public servants to either purchase or build houses for their own occupation as homes. It also encourages change of the mind-set of public servants who were used to being provided with houses by government, to own their own houses.
The Home Ownership Scheme Treasury Fund is regulated by the Fund Order of 1994. The Fund Order was recently reviewed and is with the ministry of Justice for vetting.
RURAL HOUSING DEVELOPMENT

Objectives

  • To improve the performance of the Rural Housing Scheme.
  • Improving and enhancing housing conditions in rural areas by facilitating the rural communities’ access to quality housing. 

Steps taken to achieve named objectives

Formulation and implementation of policies on rural housing delivery and rural settlements.

Formulation and dissemination (Including Building Capacity) of building standards for rural housing and rural settlements.

Dissemination of new appropriate and affordable building materials and technologies.

Coordinating and mainstreaming disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction, relating to rural housing and rural settlements.

Strengthen decentralized rural housing delivery, in line with the decentralization policy.

Support rural families improve their housing through provision of proto-type house-designs, technical guidance and technical supervision.

Coordinate and liaise with various players in rural housing delivery including facilitating access to housing finance (such as credit) for rural housing.

URBAN HOUSING

Objectives

  • Housing policy formulation and implementation
  • Housing finance especially for the low income
  • Institutional and legal framework for housing and urban development.
  • Prevention and upgrading of slum settlements

The following are the specific activities of Public Housing Services section:

  • Identify and allocate office and housing accommodation to eligible institutions and individuals in an equitable, efficient and sustainable manner in line with available resources;
  • Manage the leasing of houses and offices from Private Landlords in a secure, efficient and effective manner;
  • Manage and administer the office and housing accommodation policy for government effectively;
  • Register and manage all government buildings;
  • Manage all development projects for the department;
  • Coordinate housing programmes for the urban poor;
  • Coordinate stakeholders' participation in pro-poor housing development and improvement in urban communities;
  • Provide mechanism in managing housing rental account;
  • Provide a mechanism for housing project management;
  • Develop public houses through government projects or government /private partnership;
  • Maintain Government property register within and outside Malawi; and
  • Facilitate slum upgrading and prevention activities.
ESTATE MANAGEMENT & VALUATION
  • Provide efficient and effective estate management agency services to government ministries, departments, parastatals and general public.
  • Efficient and effective property management of the assets of the public housing development treasury fund and the United Nations housing treasury fund to sustain the performance of the housing units.
  • To manage government leased properties to ensure compliance of covenants by the landlord and government as the tenant.
  • To provide efficient and effective valuation services to government ministries, departments ,parastatals ad general public.