With reference to the article What Do People Say (January 9) the Housing Authority would like to correct the impression given.

When speaking about tenants in the context of social housing a distinction must be made between those who rent from the government through the Department of Social Housing and those who rent from private landlords and may receive rent subsidy from the Housing Authority. Due to the way we are funded most of the authority's new housing projects are not rented out but offered for sale on shared ownership basis.

The schemes of the Housing Authority are regularly revised and adapted to changes in demand. Most of these schemes are aimed at people in need. The authority is well aware of the fact that, as in other sectors where social benefits are granted, there are people who abuse the system. Measures to exclude abuse are taken. But in a situation where landlords too often do not or refuse to give a rent contract nor a receipt and want to be paid directly in cash these measures might put the honest and needy tenants at a disadvantage. Applicants in dire need may not receive the help they are eligible to because they cannot present the documents required.

Therefore, when we ask for stronger measures to fight the abuse we should not lose sight of the potential of many homeless people turned out by landlords on the streets of Malta, a situation which is still fortunately relatively rare.