Evicted tenants out on the road

Opposition spokesman on housing Roderick Galdes criticised the Housing Authority for not having enough housing stock in hand to cater for tenants who had received eviction orders through court decisions on requisitioned property. These tenants had to be assured that the authority would provide them with alternative accommodation because many of them could not afford to buy property. More court cases would increase pressure on the authority.

Mr Galdes said between 2009 and 2010, the authority’s budget had been reduced by €590,000, making it harder for it to tackle problems in social housing. Although there were 35,000 vacant housing units of which 23,000 were permanently vacant. It stood to reason, therefore, that housing stock was rather scarce.

Despite the rent reform there were still anomalies to be addressed because rent laws were still rigid and disregarded vulnerable families which amounted to about nine per cent of all families. There were waiting lists of between 800 and 900 families a year seeking social accommodation because the rent market remained expensive.

Mr Galdes said that there was no clear direction on housing.

The authority did not have any official recognition of homelessness.

However there were people who were homeless, others were living in bastions, in shelters and many others in substandard houses. Investment in housing for rent purposes in Malta amounted to five per cent of the total when it amounted to 20 per cent in other countries. Property prices continued to soar since 1980 with Mepa issuing permits for the construction of 65,000 units over the last 10 years. This meant that government policy encouraged more housing stock and speculation. This did not help to stabilise property prices.

He said that the situation of vulnerable families was not worse because of family ties. Despite electoral promises the waiting lists for social accommodation had not diminished. Some people had been on the waiting list for more than five years.

Former Housing Minister John Dalli had promised to provide 2,000 housing units outside the present stock. He had indicated that this could be done through private-public partnership schemes. It seemed the present minister was more in favour of new units built by the government.

Housing application for schemes aimed at supporting tenants to buy their own housing were taking too long to process. Grants had also been reduced showing lack of commitment by the government.

Applicants under other schemes were faced with bureaucratic difficulties and delays in receiving subsidies when they had to pay contractors for doing necessary repair work in rented government housing.

There were also families who were finding it hard to pay rent to the Land Department because of the prevalent economic situation.

Tenants who had applied for repairs to be made because of structural damage in their households had been asked to seek alternative accommodation during repairs at their own expense and also have their rent increased by six per cent.

The Housing Authority did not feel it a priority to provide alternative accommodation to families living in substandard housing. A waiting list of 2000 families in this category was unacceptable.

Mr Galdes pointed out that the Balzunetta housing estate in Floriana neared completion after 16 years. He said that there was no clear policy on the allocation of these units where community needs were concerned.

The government had failed to submit contracts to home owners whose property was still under a promise of sale because of problems relating to the expropriation of land when they were given the plot to build. He said that more delays in making these contracts meant more expenditure for the government considering that this land had been expropriated between 25 and 30 years ago.

He also referred to schemes in collaboration with local councils accusing the government of political pique because one nationalist-led local council had been given the full amount of €75,000 under the scheme, while Senglea, administered by a labour-led local council, was given only €25,000 for five government buildings that needed more embellishment and where housing problems were more acute.

Mr Galdes said the government had failed to attract buyers to government property because the same 108 apartments in such prime sites as Pembroke had been issued for sale a second time without success. This meant the Authority had to revise its policy.

He also criticised the policy for installing lifts in government buildings because more than 66 per cent of residents in the block had to apply for a lift to be installed.

Mr Galdes said the government had to give real support to the Authority in catering for those who were vulnerable. Other government entities had to collaborate with the Authority in its functions.

Other opposition members who contributed to the debate were Stefan Buontempo and Silvio Parnis.