Derrick Cries Shame Over Rent Board Absence

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Friday, 31 August 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John’s - Former Minister of Justice Colin Derrick has taken government to task for failing to establish a Rent Control Board, six years after the members were installed

"It's a burning shame because the promise to put that in place was something the United Progressive Party was very strong about. It's a burning shame that up to now it has not been rectified," he said.

Derrick had led the charge for the commission to be set up, naming the Right Reverend Kingsley Lewis as board chairman.

Head of the Directorate of Gender Affairs Sheila Roseau and Chief Architect at the Public Works Department Wesley James were the other members.

The plan hit a hurdle after the Market Street building earmarked to house the office  was firebombed in 2007.

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Authorities then decided to have the commission operate from the former Law Library building located on the corner of St Mary's Street and Temple Street. Nothing has been done since.

"It's outrageous that the rent board has not been implemented and set up and it’s an issue that my government will have difficulty answering questions about, why it is not up and running at this time," Derrick said.

He described the house rental market in the country as lacking management and supervision.

This, he explained, is causing tremendous hardships such as indiscriminate increases in rents.

"It's a dire need and a desperate situation at present in the country and it requires urgent attention to relieve much of the miseries of the tenants and landlords alike because the police is being distracted by having to deal with such issues," the former minister said.

"Naturally a lot of persons who are very poor are being exploited by very unscrupulous landlords who are charging outrageous rents."
The Consumer Affairs Division has since assumed some of the functions of the commission and is currently distributing a booklet that informs landlords and tenants of their rights and responsibilities.

Consumer Affairs Officer Collette Brown said the department has received numerous complaints.

"We try our best to assist in matters of renting. The tenant might have a problem with the landlord where he is refusing to give back the security deposit or the landlord might have a problem with the tenant where they have damaged the property and is not paying bills or rent," she told Observer Radio's Observer AM programme yesterday.

Brown said the division's work would  be eased if the board was allowed to function.

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