(Bloomberg) -- China eased a year-long cap on loans for the real estate sector to fund public rental housing, as the government tackles a slumping property market and pushes “common prosperity.” 

Bank loans to fund low-cost rental property projects will no longer be subject to regulatory curbs, the People’s Bank of China said in a statement on Tuesday. Early last year, lenders were told to trim their loan exposure to the property sector to a certain level. 

China is stepping up efforts to develop more rental properties, as homes in big cities are largely unaffordable for many young people and migrant workers after years of rapid price gains. Starting more public real estate projects may also help counter a slowdown in real estate development under a spreading liquidity crisis in the industry. 

A total of 6.5 million homes for leasing purposes will be built across 40 major cities in the five years through 2025, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development said last month. The homes will account for around 26% of new housing supply in the cities during the 14th five-year plan period and benefit 13 million young people and new residents, it said. 

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