Owners of duplexes built by Coalition to access titles

-as Gov’t moves to amend Condominium Act

Minister of Housing and Water, Hon. Collin Croal says the PPP/C Government would be amending the Condominium (Regulation and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act to allow owners of such properties to access titles for their lands.

He told the National Assembly on Friday that by mid-2021 the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Hon. Anil Nandlall SC would present the Bill to the House for consideration.

This amendment to the Act would pave the way for the commercial banks to accept titles for those properties, insurance companies to issue policies to those homeowners and more importantly, allow these homeowners to access loans for expansion.

Minister Croal said the APNU/AFC Coalition’s vision for the housing sector was the construction of duplexes (a home with two individually-owned units in one building). However, they failed to amend the relevant legislation that guide the regulation of such properties.

“The fact is Mr. Speaker, even when the Coalition had one big idea for housing, even that they could not get right. Their big idea? Let’s introduce duplexes, and they proceeded to have contractors construct duplexes but did not think to have the Condominium Act amended to include this type of house.

This omission, he said, would have prevented citizens who had invested their hard-earned dollars into those houses, from getting home insurance or their titles. Even more worrying, he said, is that banks are not amenable to holding duplexes as collateral.

How could any Minister of Housing with an ounce of sense allow this to happen? No wonder, even though they inherited a robust housing and water sector, it was plunged into chaos in four short years. And so, it falls to us, this PPP/C Government to once again rescue the housing sector,” the Minister said.

To this end, through the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s National Housing Development Programme, the Ministry plans to build 1,000 housing units for young professionals and low-income earners. These units would be built at Cummings Lodge, Prospect, Providence, Little Diamond and Great Diamond in Region Four; Onderneeming and Wales in Region Three; Ordnance/Fortlands, Hampshire and Williamsburg in Region Six and Amelia’s Ward in Region 10.

The Government would also be constructing 1,000 homes for young professionals and low-income earners and residents of Region 10 through public-private partnerships, with community involvement every step of the way.

Further, a total of 50 families in the Sophia Housing Scheme in Region Four and another 50 at Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara would benefit from Core Homes Support. More than 100 families in those two communities are also expected to benefit from home improvement subsidies.

This year, the housing sector has received a total allocation of $8.9 billion of which $6 billion will go towards infrastructure and utility works in new and existing areas. This will pave the way for the allocation of over 10,000 house lots and 7,000 land titles to citizens, many of whom have been waiting for years to own their homes.

“Let the House be reminded that in just four months in office, 3,600 house lots and 413 titles were handed over to citizens,” Minister Croal said.

These initiatives are among several to be rolled out this year, as the PPP/C Government advances its plans to revitalise the housing sector that was derailed under the former administration.