Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Camille Robinson-Regis, along with the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), have made a decision to take action regarding tenant arrears and evictions. With $241.73 million in unpaid rent on the table, the authorities have deemed it necessary to move forward with evictions to collect these outstanding payments. The arrears range from $22,000 to $128,000, with some tenants not making payments for as long as 2.5 to seven years. This issue raises questions about why tenants were allowed to accumulate such high debts in the first place.
Robinson-Regis emphasized the importance of improving HDC’s collection of outstanding payments and made it clear that there would be no debt forgiveness for late tenants. While approximately $9 million was collected in April alone, averaging $6 million per month over the past nine months, the success of this collection drive is still up for debate.
This situation underscores the need for joint accountability from both authorities and tenants to address the issue of escalating debt. Evictions, while necessary in some cases, also highlight the importance of implementing proactive strategies to prevent arrears from piling up. Policies should be put in place to offer support to tenants facing financial difficulties and encourage them to seek assistance as soon as they encounter payment challenges. By working together, we can tackle the underlying causes of the housing crisis and ensure that everyone has access to affordable housing.
S BENOIS-SELMAN
