00:00Mr. President, from the 394 evictions conducted over the period 2009 to 2024, 376 were for
00:12illegal occupancy, and in 2024, the evictions are for arrears and for subletting.
00:21Housing and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis in the Senate on Tuesday, as
00:26she responded to a question from Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate, Wade Mark.
00:31In doing so, the Housing Minister revealed the extent of the amount of money owed by
00:36some tenants who were allocated public housing units under the Housing Development Corporation.
00:42Mr. President, you do recognize, and I'm sure Senator Mark recognizes, that $241 million
00:51being owed to the state in circumstances where we are trying to provide housing for other
00:58people.
00:59It makes it very difficult for the HDC as a state agency to operate.
01:06The Housing Minister told the Senate the exact amount owed was $241.7 million.
01:14As of April 30th, 2024, the arrears are for rent-to-own units, and the amount owing to
01:23the HDC and its subsidiary is $2,105,914.32.
01:33For rental units, the arrears stand at $76,745,383.79.
01:46For mortgages that have been given by the HDC as in-house mortgages, the arrears are
01:54at $67,712,621.19.
02:03The Housing Minister said arrears in the category of licensed occupant units stand at $91,478,355.66.
02:14And for commercial properties, the arrears are $3,690,186.92.
02:23Mr. President, is the government contemplating a new policy including the writing off of
02:31these sums that are owed by tenants for decades and seem irrecoverable?
02:37Can the Minister indicate?
02:41No.
02:42In his original question, Senator Mark wanted the Minister to explain the circumstances
02:47surrounding what he described as the sudden evictions of HDC tenants in April of this year.
02:53And in 2024, thus far, there have been 23.
02:58Five of them being for illegal occupancy, 17 for arrears, and one for subletting.
03:06The tenants who have been evicted in 2024 for arrears were to pay monthly rentals of
03:14either $800, $1,200, $1,500, or $1,800.
03:22And the Minister gave very specific examples.
03:25The period of arrears ranged from 2.5 years for the tenant who was owing $45,700 to approximately
03:37seven years for the tenant that was owing $128,000 in rent.
03:45And Mr. President, of those who were evicted, three tenants have in fact liquidated their
03:52arrears.
03:53And as a result, they have been given back their units.
03:59The Housing Minister said two of the HDC tenants evicted this year so far are in the process
04:04of liquidating their arrears and will be given back their public housing units.
04:09These evictions were not sudden.
04:12The HDC has adhered to a structured and transparent process, ensuring that tenants receive ample
04:19notice and multiple opportunities to address their arrears before any eviction occurs.
04:26The Housing Minister said that as of April 2024, the HDC, with its subsidiary, the Asset
04:32Management Company Limited, collected $9 million from errant tenants.
04:38Jewel Brown, TV6 News.
Comments