The Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has sought to clarify that no beneficiary of Government’s core homes were coerced, tricked, intimidated or deceived by officers attached to the agency, to return their documents for a refund. The Core House Pilot was implemented under the Government of Guyana/Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) Second Low Income Settlements Programme (2009-2015), and was targeted to benefit persons of low affordability who were unable to construct houses on their own.
According to the CH&PA, the beneficiaries who passed through a rigorous selection process were allowed to participate in the pilot in good faith, and defaulters failed to adhere to their side of the agreement.
The authority revealed that occupation of the core houses was a key aspect of the agreement between the Government and the IDB and was elaborated in the Operating Regulations which governed the Programme; the beneficiaries signed the Agreement which stipulated the following:
* “Possession of the property shall be given to the beneficiary(ies) who shall occupy the property within one month of it being delivered to the beneficiary(ies).”
* “Upon failure of the beneficiary(ies) to occupy the said property within one month of its delivery, the beneficiary(ies) shall be bound to give up possession of the land and building to the Authority and to re-convey Title to the Central Housing and Planning Authority.”
However, having been faced with defaulters, the CH&PA carefully reviewed the issue of repossession of the houses, prior to the issuance of letters to the beneficiaries.
“The Authority notes that the letters which were issued to defaulting beneficiaries, prompted some beneficiaries to occupy their homes while some others elected to be refunded monies paid for the land and their equity contribution of $100,000 toward the house. The house was virtually free of cost to the beneficiaries” the agency said in its statement yesterday.
And having maintained that “no one was coerced, tricked, intimidated or deceived” by officers to return their documents for a refund, the authority stated that Certificates of Title issued in respect of Government land are subject to registered interests where persons are to erect buildings within a specific time. Failing to do so, CH&PA said, could result in the agency re-conveying the said lands to the Central Authority/Government.
“Beneficiaries are also not at liberty to sell, lease, transfer or part with possession of the said property transferred, within ten (10) years of transfer, without the consent of the Minister among other conditions. Beneficiaries who would have processed Certificates of Title on the award of the core houses are further subject to registered interests that incorporate a combination of conditions of the Core House Agreement and the Agreement for the sale of the Land” CH&PA said.
As such, having been made aware that some beneficiaries are renting and some have sold their core house, the body sought to highlight that it is well within the law to seek to reclaim these properties.