Around 20,000 sets of apartments will be built in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) to help low- and middle-income urban residents and migrant workers solve the housing problem during the 12th-Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).

To meet the increasing housing demand, the regional government will build, purchase and also reconstruct more low-rent apartments, according to the departments concerned.

To apply for such apartments, urban residents and migrant workers with low and middle incomes should meet the following requirements: having an urban Hukou (permanent residence certificate) issued by the regional Bureau of Public Security; having lived in Tibet for over one year; having stable income to be able to pay rents; earning an annual or monthly family income lower than the standard of per capita disposable income;  possessing private property or per capita living area of less than 15 square meters; as well as not being covered by any local housing insurance policy. Graduates of secondary vocational schools, colleges and universities are also eligible to appy if they meet the above requirement.

Families with senior citizens above 60 years old, seriously-ill patients, handicapped people, demobilized servicemen, people eligible for special government allowances or key resettlement projects are prioritized to rent the apartments.