The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) is taking strong action to recover over $241 million in arrears from errant tenants. Housing and Urban Development Minister Camille Robinson-Regis emphasized the importance of collecting outstanding arrears to prevent the misuse of state resources allocated for affordable housing.
Current debts owed to the HDC include $2.1 million by rent-to-own tenants, $91.5 million by occupants licensed to live in units, $76.7 million by renters, $67.7 million by mortgage beneficiaries, and $3.7 million by commercial property owners. Despite the HDC’s leniency towards tenants, the agency is facing challenges in providing housing due to the significant amount of unpaid rent.
The recent evictions of 15 tenants from five HDC developments in April were part of an ongoing exercise rather than a sudden decision. The HDC follows a structured process, providing notice and opportunities for tenants to address their arrears before eviction. Evictions primarily target illegal occupants or those with rental arrears, with 394 people evicted since 2009, mostly for illegal occupancy.
In response to the evictions this year, Robinson-Regis stated that some tenants have settled their debts and had their units returned to them. However, others have not responded to attempts to settle their arrears and face reallocation of their units to those on the HDC’s waiting list. The government is not considering writing off long-standing debts as irrecoverable at this time.
Overall, the HDC is committed to recovering arrears to ensure the availability of affordable housing for those in need. The agency will continue to take necessary actions to address outstanding rent payments and uphold its responsibility to taxpayers.
