Legislation was passed to protect the interests of relatives of a deceased person should a surviving spouse remarry.
This in itself was a laudable idea but it presented an ongoing problem which will, before much longer, mean over 100,000 empty properties on the island.
Would it not be sensible for the government to resolve the problem by taking in hand properties which have not been occupied for over five years and have them auctioned off with the net proceeds (after administration fees and auctioneers’ commision) being divided among the intended recipients?