Argues Bermuda typically shuns innovation
One Bermuda Alliance Op-Ed:
The Government has done a Ministry restructure creating a dedicated Ministry of Housing and Municipalities since, per the Premier, housing “is one of the most vital issues that our island faces today” and “Given its importance the Government will dedicate a full ministry to housing, emphasising how critical affordable housing solutions are to Bermuda’s future.”
It is an admirable move but is also a tacit recognition that after 21 years of PLP rule, there is still a housing crisis in Bermuda. I am grateful to the Leader of the Opposition in appointing me as Shadow Minister to this portfolio in addition to Home Affairs.
I have had a real interest in this area for years, first writing in the Bermuda Sun in 2008 about my desire to see the Bishop Spencer School be used for Emergency Housing. I will address this in another article.
During the 2025 election campaign the PLP touted a record of “delivering 70 homes”. Columnist Bryant Trew largely addressed this claim in his excellent piece herein April 2024: Selective facts about housing figures – The Royal Gazette | Bermuda News, Business, Sports, Events, & Community | As such I won’t repeat the math. Instead, what I will comment on is that the Bermuda Housing Corporation is simply nibbling at the edges of what is a serious issue and our housing issues are in fact far more than dealing with emergency housing.
One problem is there is just not enough stock, especially in the one and two-bedroom market at a reasonable rent. Advertised rental units, if you can find them at all, come off the market faster than you can snap your fingers. On propertyskipper.com at the time of writing (Friday 28 February) there were 27 one- and two-bedroom properties listed island-wide with three-quarters listed at eye-watering rental sums. Why is that?
The issues are well documented. But in my view, we need to have a totally different holistic look at the entire matter. Housing cannot be examined in a simple vacuum. I have written previously about changing planning height restrictions and considering different building materials is a start (see piece here: What are we waiting for? Build higher! – The Royal Gazette | Bermuda News, Business, Sports, Events, & Community | . In short, if we are to encourage building for our future, we need to consider many things, not only renovating existing units for low-income needs. Admirable and absolutely required, yes, but it is a band aid approach.
I suspect there are a number of people and companies that benefit from maintaining the status quo, which has inhibited our ability to be innovative. We typically say “no” in Bermuda to innovation and we need to end that now. In order to make informed decisions about our housing needs, from emergency housing to suitable units for single people and small families, we need to undertake a census urgently.
We also need to consider how immigration policy has influenced our current housing crisis, which falls squarely on this government. I say that since there was a fundamental shift in immigration patterns which has had a detrimental effect on availability of one- and two-bedroom units for Bermudians. This began when term limits were introduced.
In short, when longer term residents left the island who were renting family homes, they were replaced by guest workers who were single or married without children who then competed on a far larger level than ever in the one bedroom and two-bedroom market against Bermudians. Equally, the now-ended digital nomad program had the same effect. As our population ages, more and more seniors will be looking for one and two-bedroom units. All this drives up rental unit costs.
So, what should we do? We need to have a very quick and serious look at numerous pieces of legislation to incentivize building of one- and two-bedroom units for rental and sale, firstly to Bermudians – families and seniors. We need to build higher in the City of Hamilton and encourage city living. We need to ensure new building codes include elements of clean and sustainable energy. Most of all we need accurate figures to give us true insight into issues that can only currently be identified through extrapolation from out of date figures.
Over the coming weeks I will be reaching out to stakeholders in the community to get their perspectives, learn and share ideas for the betterment of Bermuda.
Michael Fahy is a former Cabinet Minister and is the MP for Constituency 20 and the Shadow Minister for Housing & Municipalities and Home Affairs. He can be contacted at opedfahy@gmail.com.
