Housing Authority rebuts allegations

The Housing Authority makes reference to the parliamentary speech, reported in The Times of November 23, 2006, regarding the building in Qawra which was rented so that it could in turn be rented out to applicants on the waiting list of the Department of Social Housing. The Housing Authority would like to clarify some points brought up in this speech.

It was stated that the building that the Housing Authority rented in Qawra was not vacant. However, when officials from the Housing Authority went to inspect this building in Qawra, it was found that this building was vacant and was not being used. The garages mentioned in the speech were not rented and remained garages according to the permits issued by Mepa.

The Housing Authority requested that the owners present permits that conform with requisites imposed by Mepa. The owner of this building applied for a "change of use" with regards to the back part of the building, in order to convert offices into apartments. No changes were made to the two-bedroom apartments (63 square metres) situated in the front of the block. These apartments had been approved by Mepa to be used as two-bedroom apartments since 1992.

There are apartments designated as one-bedroom apartments. These in fact include more rooms and can be used either as a combined living/dining/kitchen area and two bedrooms or as a combined living/dining area, a separate kitchen and one bedroom. In fact these apartments have been rented out to persons with a disability and who are single, according to the policies of the Housing Authority.

With reference to the statement that this building is still empty, the Housing Authority would like to clarify that it has already signed 10 rent contracts with new tenants who were on the waiting list of the Department of Social Housing.