The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) is moving to reclaim unoccupied houses from people who have either migrated, died or lives elsewhere.
The HDC intends to seek the intervention of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to seize vacant single unit houses, apartments, town houses and condominiums which Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said will be distributed to people who are in dire need of shelter.
With the demand for housing far outweighing supply, Moonilal said as soon as HDC appoints its new board, chaired by Rabindra Moonan, this matter will be dealt with.
On Wednesday, Moonilal said the HDC was aware of several unoccupied houses in central and south Trinidad, which they are seeking to take control of.
Moonilal said some of the homes in question have not been purchased from HDC, while paper work for others could not be found by its legal department.
It was also discovered that some homeowners had either willed the property to a relative or friend who could not be contacted.
“In some housing areas people may have entered into a relationship with the HDC over the years and never moved into the house,” Moonilal said.
He listed a number of reasons for not occupying a house—among them death, migration or the owner lives at another location.
Other reasons were lack of water and electricity connections on the homeowners’ part.
Homeowners to be given ultimatum
Moonilal said the PNM was lax in the way in which it distributed houses.
“You see names on a database at the HDC but you cannot contact these people. You don’t know who they are or where they are.”
In the coming weeks, the HDC will publish in the press the names of these homeowners.
Moonilal said the homeowners whom they contact will be given an ultimatum—move in or the Government will confiscate the vacant property.
“I intend to discuss a programme with the Attorney General, Anand Ramlogan and the incoming board where we can take back these empty houses and reclaim them legally.
“We will take back houses where we have no proper record of persons purchasing or have not occupied those homes.”
Asked how many houses were unoccupied, Moonilal said the HDC was in the process of tallying the figure.
“We don’t have a comprehensive database.”
In the event that the homeowner claims ownership of the property, Moonilal said the HDC will relocate them to another housing development.
“We will give them an alternative unit.”
He said the HDC has no intention of depriving someone of a home.
Moonilal said most of the information the HDC had acquired on the unoccupied houses had been compiled by members of the public.
“The best people who know about these unoccupied houses are citizens. When someone is desperate for a house it affects them...they drive by and see houses empty.
“They draw maps of where these unoccupied houses can be found and come to see us. It is inhumane to a certain extent that people cannot get a house and to pass and see houses abandoned.”
The legal procedure to reclaim the houses, Moonilal said, will not cost the State much.
100,000 homes on Caroni lands
Ten years after the closure of Caroni 1975 Ltd, the HDC is moving to utilise some of the lands for housing. Caroni 1975 Ltd has some 75,000 acres of land.
In the coming weeks, Moonilal said, the HDC will look at a comprehensive housing development programme to construct between 80,000 to 100,000 homes by 2025.
Moonilal said the HDC will be working with the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development to create new towns, cities and residential areas throughout the country.
HDC will also partner with the private sector to get the houses completed in a timely fashion.
Within the next three months, Moonilal said he expects a proposal from the HDC’s board on this initiative.
“I believe we can fully utilise the Caroni land bank that we inherited because of the closure of Caroni 1975 Ltd. That land bank can generate 80 to 100,000 housing units. We are looking at that.”
Moonilal said the HDC will build town houses, apartments and condominiums, rather than single family units, given the limited land space.
When will housing shortage be a thing of the past?
Moonilal said in seven to ten years as they work out a novel infrastructure investment policy.
The HDC constructs 5,000 start-up homes and distributes 1,500 units every year.
However, Moonilal said a survey showed that the HDC needs to construct 7,000 homes and distribute 5,000 annually.
“This cannot be done by HDC alone. It’s impossible, given the resources and institutional challenges.”
In the 2013 budget, the Ministry of Housing received $1.2 billion.
Some of the areas targeted for housing developments in 2013 are:
• East/West corridor.
• Expansion in Union Hall, San Fernando, La Horquetta, Debe, South Trinidad.
Among the areas awaiting distribution:
• Victoria Keyes
• Egypt Village
• Union Hall
• Princes Town