Housing Minister believes private sector refurbishment scheme will prompt more property owners to enter rental market
Photos: Zane DeSilva, Deputy Premier and Minister of Housing & Municipalities / Bermuda houses
Zane DeSilva, Deputy Premier and Minister of Housing & Municipalities, has a 7.5 million-dollar Ministry budget this year – plus nearly 23 million towards transformational housing and infrastructure.
Minister DeSilva said 16 housing units will be fully refurbished this year, followed by another 33 units upgraded in 2026.
The Minister also said that 24 private property owners have expressed interest in the Private Sector Refurbishing programme – where Government contributes up to 125-thousand to renovate a private property, in exhange for an up-to 7 year lease with the Bermuda Housing Corporation.
Responding to questions from our Gary Foster Skelton, Minister De Silva said amending the Landlord Tenant Act is going to be a joint task between himself, the Minister of Public Works and the Minister of Justice:
GFS: “We’ve had [hints] at amendments to the Landlord Tenant Act since the 2022 Throne speech. So, where is it?”
DeSilva: “It’s coming this this year. It will come.”
GFS: “You don’t seem to have a shortage of people looking for affordable housing, but you do seem to have a shortage of landlords willing to rent to that market. Isn’t one of your biggest tasks making renting more attractive to landlords?”
DeSilva: “The plans that we have with regard to the refurbishment program… I think once those start coming into play with regard to rental units in the country, I think landlords will start to recognize, ‘I have to start freeing up my places for people in the country’… because, as we know, it’s about supply and demand.”
Minister DeSilva also said amendments to the Acquisition of Land and Bermuda Housing acts will be introduced this year, aimed at streamlining the reclamation and redevelopment of vacant and derelict properties.
There will be public consultation on these plans, the Minister said:
GFS: “Is there a real risk that some people, if they’ve allowed properties to go derelict, could end up losing those properties?”
DeSilva: “I know that there was a meeting held this morning with several of the stakeholders within government… I certainly don’t want to preempt what the final decisions will look like… But you and I both know, the people of the country know, there are many homes around the island – whether it’s through family disputes or whether it’s in probate for years, and sometimes that happens, or homes that have just been left behind [by] someone, that has passed, and they’ve left it to no one… those three examples are some of the things that we have to really delve into… and there will be consultation, public consultation as well. Because I think the public feedback is going to be important as we go forward.”
When asked if the Acquisition of Land amendments would actually happen this year, Minister DeSilva said he can’t answer that, but meetings have been and are being held to discuss the issue of derelict housing.
He added that ir can’t happen fast enough, because “every home that we can put on the market for our people is another person housed.”
