By Zena Henry
WHILE government’s introduction of duplexes to the local housing sector may provide a promising solution to adequately house larger numbers of persons in smaller spaces, and may prove cost-effective to the state, a small glitch in the system is now forcing government to put mechanisms in place as the law does not provide for such home ownership.

The Guyana Chronicle has been reliably informed that some degree of concern has arisen over the financing mechanism that will allow persons to access loans for the two-family-size home. As it stands, Guyana’s laws do not cater for the ownership of duplex homes but rather, there exists a Condominium Act, and that too does not allow for the normal ownership of properties.
According to information, the Condominium Act allows the owner of that property access only to the Certificate of Sale, and not a Certificate of Title. The Certificate of Sale is a document generally given to the purchaser after the sale of an item, in this case, the home. It does not convey title, which identifies the owner or owners of the property.

This being the case with the Condominium Act and no legislation referring to the duplexes, it is understood that banks are a bit skeptical about providing loans for these seemingly “risky” mortgages. At least two local banks, Citizens Bank and Republic Bank have told the Guyana Chronicle that persons wishing to purchase the duplexes will have to bring in some type of document from the Housing Ministry to provide assurance for them obtaining the loan. Citizens Bank for example said that a person seeking a loan for the duplex is required to attain from the Housing Ministry a letter of assurance, stating that the duplex could be used as collateral should a person default on the mortgage.

On the other hand, access to insurance coverage is also an area of concern. It was noted that before granting their service, insurance agencies would more than likely be checking on whether the other half of the duplex is insured, since a possible fire in one section of the building, for instance, could mean the destruction of the entire property. The type of insurance might also differ from the normal properties, the newspaper was told.
The government is however pushing for the utilization of these homes as part of its housing solutions, which it says will comprise of single-family homes, condominiums and duplexes. The Guyana Chronicle was told however, that the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) is aware of the situation and is currently addressing the concerns highlighted.

CH&PA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul told the newspaper that the agency is in the process of putting mechanisms in place to address the matter and this includes working with the banks to allow potential home-owners access to loans. “We are in talks with the banks, and we expect to have everything resolved,” the CEO assured.
In the meantime, the duplexes remain one of the more innovative moves by the Housing Ministry in expressing its vision for Guyana’s new housing solutions. The Housing Ministry is just days away from hosting its very first housing exposition, which will bring potential home-owners, contractors and financial lending agencies together.

The expo, which was introduced under the proactive Minister Valerie Patterson, will make Perseverance Housing Scheme into a model community for what will come. The Housing Ministry is adamant that unlike the properties provided under the previous administration, this government is providing Guyanese with complete communities that will have electricity, water, roads, community parks and social spaces among other amenities. Homes for low to high-income earners will be on display, so that potential home-owners get an idea of the type of home they could access based on their incomes.

Under the last administration, citizens were receiving lands with no roads or other means of accessing them. For years, some areas remained without water or electricity leading to a build-up of distributed homes and lands that have remained unoccupied. State Minister Joseph Harmon recently announced that the government will have to provide electricity and water, and in some cases roads to 16 housing schemes that were created by the last government.