No more squatting

TIMES INT'L

…Govt says ‘lawlessness’ will not be allowed to continue

squattingIn light of the measures being put in place by the Administration towards making housing ‘affordable’ and regularising the current squatter settlements in the country, there will be no allowance for new squatters.

This is according to Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing, Valerie Sharpe-Patterson who at a press briefing today warned against squatting.

“Have your application in, and we are saying to you, we are working towards making houselots available and you will get your houselot…we are not forced to regularise squatting so let me just emphasise, however those that are already existing and some as much as 30 years, we are going to regularise you, but we do not expect this type of illegality and lawlessness to continue,” the Minister stated.

She also warned that her Ministry will be going after and penalising the allottees of government houselots, who sell the land before the expiration of the 10-year period.

“All around the country we have found persons who have acquired these houselots are selling these houselots for gains. This is illegal, our policy says that you cannot sell within 10 years,” Minister Sharpe-Patterson declared.

However, she noted that persons continue this practice and visit the Ministry for regularisation.

“We are urging persons not to become involved in such acts. We allocate a piece of land to you because we believe that you are desirous of having a home built or acquiring a home and so we expect that persons will not buy land to sell.”

It should be reminded that after the 10-year period is up, if a person is desirous of selling, then approval has to be obtained in writing, from the Minister responsible for housing.

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