Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley????

The Ministry of Housing and Lands will soon be launching a public relations campaign to inform and encourage residents living in tenantries to exercise their rights under the Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act Cap 239B.

Minister of Housing and Lands, Michael Lashley, recently stated that there is state assistance available to these persons by law, but there are many Barbadians living in tenantries who are either not informed of their rights under the Act, or are not keen on exercising their rights.????

"As a consequence, they cannot carry out improvements to their homes because of a lack of title [or ownership] to their land and simply because the mortgage company needs their title deeds for any security or loan," he explained.??

Minister Lashley also expressed concern about the lengthy foreclosure process for persons who did not live in tenantries but who lived on a plot of land for a number of years without title deeds. He, however, revealed that the Attorney General was currently looking at legislation to bring about a speedier and cost effective resolution.

"I am of the view that a speedier and cost effective way of titling land in Barbados will result in the empowerment of thousands of Barbadians who, although living on land and paying land taxes for a number of years, are not in possession of title deeds," Minister Lashley maintained.??

The Tenantries Freehold Purchase Act Cap 239B, administered by the Housing and Lands Ministry, affords qualified residents in plantation and rural tenantries the opportunity to qualify to purchase land, if they have lived in a tenantry of six or more houses for at least five years.??

The purchase price for lots in plantation tenantries is $1.00 per square metre or 10 cents per square foot and the minimum purchase price that can be paid by tenants is $300.00.??

lbayley@barbados.gov.bb

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