State housing committee chairman S Sundarajoo said Penang was also pushing for unsold or low-demand flats or homes in Seberang Perai to be converted to hostels for foreign workers.

He said some factories were already snapping up several blocks in Seberang Perai South, turning them into workers’ quarters, which he described as impressive.

“We are also looking at centralised labour quarters (CLQs) within factory premises. Can you imagine if we had this during Covid-19? In the long term, we would be able to control social issues,” he told reporters after opening the inaugural States’ Housing Symposium in Tanjung Bungah today.

The housing boards of Selangor, Melaka, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu and Sarawak are taking part in a two-day conference to share the best practices from their states.

Sundarajoo also reiterated Penang’s stance in acting against those who rent out affordable or low-cost units to third parties.

He said this went against the spirit of offering such homes to the low-income group, and that the sales and purchase agreements of such units were being tweaked to ensure enforcement of such rentals.

He also said the state legal adviser was looking into claims that developers were forcing extra features on first-time buyers of affordable homes, adding that such developers would be blacklisted from carrying out future projects in Penang.