Housing Authority seeking to rent property

Saviour Cachia

Dec 19th 2011, 19:33

An independent board will evaluate property to ensure it matches standards and to determine how much the authority will pay, in commercial rates, depending on the location and size of the property. Is this in line with the way the experts appointed by the Law Court evaluate the properties commissoned to them in legal cases?
To be fair to all, should not this independent board do such evaluation on a national base, even in cases pending in courts? The least the Government can do is appoint the core group of the independent board and under its wing will gather all the experts on the Court books to do such work. In this way certain imbalances will be avoided. How come a court expert evaluates an empty property Lm18,000 and expert of an estate agents calculate it would get Lm42,000 on today's markets. Certainly one of them is off the road completely. So if it is time to do a revision, it should be done in the interest of all. I show solidarity with social cases, but do not forget the taxpayers and return to them their due.

J Cassar

Dec 19th 2011, 17:37

Ahjar issir gustizja mas sidien u issir riforma bis-serjeta fuq il-ligi tal-kera ghal dawk li jigbru €186 biss fis-sena ta propjeta mikrija! Staqsu lil dawk li ihhalsu hafna flus ghas-succesjoni (ghandhom u m'ghandomx) u jibqaw jigbru hmerija tal-propjeta ghal zmien indefinit li bi dritt ijja taghom, ma tistax tehoda lura! Minn hemm trid tibda issir il-gustizja!

Joseph Calleja

Dec 19th 2011, 17:31

Minister Dolores Christina , don't be so generous with other people's property. In 1974 the MLP let squatters move into my father's empty house in B'Kara. They remain there up to this day and there is nothing we can do about it. Although the property has been DEREQUISITIONED (Caps intended) your government and the law dictates that we cannot evict these squatters who have been living there since 1974. The government had set the rent to be nineteen Maltese liri a year (19 maltese liri) up until about four years ago. Then the courts upped the rent to one hundred and eighty-five euros a year. (185 euros). So generous of the government as you can see. This is the same manipulation by the present government all over again, trying to take control of private properties. Please don't do this! At least not until this government finds a way to return the requisitioned properties of the past. In short, why not find a new place for these illegal squatters? Get them out of our property so my siblings and I can enjoy our father's inheritance. How can you and the courts justify that a tenant and his or her second generation can live in that house forever when our own children have to go out and rent a place at four times the rent cost? What kind of justice are you looking for Minister? This is not a PN or PL problem, this is an injustice put upon us by both governments and the courts sanction such actions. Shame on all of you. Minister, all we want is to get our properties back…..Joseph Calleja

John Vella

Dec 19th 2011, 13:17

Another desperate attempt to gloss over this government's social aspect failure. Who in his right mind would rent a property when he or she have no say in who is actually going to live in it? I smell failure right from the start. Desperate measures of a desperate sinking government

E Gatt

Dec 19th 2011, 12:43

There a number of families that seriously need government assistance in finding a place where to live. As a taxpayer, I am glad to show my solidarity with such families by paying my dues.

What I find unfair, on taxpayers and especially on people in need, is that some government housing units are occupied by people whose income has improved from when they were allocated the property. In my opinion, these tenants should be evicted, and make way for those who are worse off.

Government property in prime areas – such as the new apartments with a sea-view at Pembroke - should be put on the market, and the proceeds used to build double the amount of units in perhaps less desirable areas.

MALCOLM SEYCHELL

Dec 19th 2011, 12:28

Dolores Cristina with all her fanatic socialism should go in North Korea. She will be good in that country.

Owners of flats which are still in a good state should have the final say on whether or not they want the people which Dolores will send in their flats.

I don't want any people living in my flat without my authorization.

Charles Sammut

Dec 19th 2011, 12:04

Needless to say the owners will have no say in who the tenants will be and neither will the neighbours.

". . . . . . and included people who needed to change home as it was too small or big, people living in shelters such as domestic violence victims and former prison inmates."

What about 'irregular' immigrants? I am sure they qualify.

MALCOLM SEYCHELL

Dec 19th 2011, 11:55

Socialism at its best.... u mhux hekk nikri il post biex l awtorita tikrih il xi 4 kriminali jew tuzzana immigranti joqghodu go flat 2 bedroom...

P Pace Balzan

Dec 19th 2011, 11:15

An extremely good initiative.

R. Gauci

Dec 19th 2011, 10:43

Riesqa l-elezzjoni se nibdew inqassmu mid-dehra!!

Peter Murray

Dec 19th 2011, 10:35

Fat chance of this scheme reaping any benefitsor having any remote prospects of success as it would involve property owners having to actually declare their property as a rental one and the less tax payable on offer does not equal no tax paid -as is the case with the vast majority of rental propertieswhich are undeclared , also it would involve the property having to go on the rental register-which is anathema to most landlords.

Lincoln Spiteri

Dec 19th 2011, 10:29

Rather than have the government determine prices, why not let property owners set the amount of rent they wish to receive and government take up property on a competitive basis? I find it odd that market prices are set by a government authority since this can lead to market distortion and possibly price inflation.