Ninth sitting of the second session of the 2018-2023 of the House of Assembly – December 15, 2020.

Government plans to reimburse existing and former tenants of the National Housing Corporation (NHC) who paid in full or part to purchase their housing units.

Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid, in his Ministerial Statement in Parliament yesterday, announced that “it is estimated that a total of $5,645,700 will be refunded to 576 tenants from 21 of NHC’s 49 housing estates.

He said in keeping with the guidelines of the Barbados Economic Recovery and Transformation Programme, persons who paid $5,000 or less will receive cash, while tenants entitled to be refunded more than $5,000 will receive bonds. The monies and bonds are scheduled to be paid by Christmas.

Dr. Duguid also assured that Government plans to ensure that almost 100 per cent of tenants will receive titles to their units within the next two years, and will fast track the relevant legislation.

The Minister disclosed that the electrical network in the units was currently being upgraded in an effort to make them safe and secure, prior to the transfer to the clients. 

He said work had been carried out on building estates at Haynesville, Thorpes and Bagatelle, in St. James, in the past year, and had commenced at Ferniehurst and Rosemont, in St. Michael, earlier this month.

Dr. Duguid also stated that the NHC had made steady progress in refurbishing its wells and sewage systems in order to make the surroundings more wholesome and safe for tenants, and Barbadians as a whole. He said this is being done under the Sewage Systems Refurbishment Programme, which had an initial cost of $2 million.

Under this programme, critical repair work had been undertaken on unsafe and unsanitary sewage systems in at least 10 housing estates. A total of 135 of the most critical sewage systems (wells and septic tanks) were identified for rehabilitation.

Click here to view the full statement from Minister of Housing, Lands and Maintenance, Dr. William Duguid.

fabian.belgrave@barbados.gov.bb

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