The proposed increase in assessment rates in the federal capital will not affect the price of affordable homes offered by Syarikat Perumahan Negara Berhad (SPNB), including in the Klang Valley.

SPNB vice-president Siti Hajar Md Saleh said the agency would retain the price at RM250,000 and below even when faced with the high market price of houses currently.

"We will try to find the best ways and methods in controlling the price of our houses because if, as a government agency we raise the price, then who will help the people to own a house? For that, we will maintain our price."

Siti Hajar said this to reporters after being a panel speaker at a talk programme on the issue of "House Ownership in the Klang Valley - Between Dream and Reality", here, Monday.

Kuala Lumpur City Hall has proposed to raise assessment rates in the federal capital based on the current real estate value as the rates have not been reviewed for 21 years while the property value has shot up high in the last two decades.

However, the new assessment rates have not been finalised.

In another development, Siti Hajar said SPNB had launched two more housing projects involving 1,855 units, comprising 1,200 units in Laguna Biru, Sungai Buloh and 655 in Alam Prima, Shah Alam under the Affordable Housing Programme.

The talk programme organised by the Federal Territory Information Department discussed issues involving house ownership in the Klang Valley, including the price of houses, workmanship quality and the attitude of buyers.

Besides Siti Hajar, the other panel speaker was the director of the National Housing Department's Policy and Strategic Planning Division, Gurdev Singh, while Bernama editor-in-chief Datuk Zulkefli Salleh was the moderator.