Govt deal with private landlord a ‘mockery’, Action for Housing says

Action for Housing has called the decision to allocate private renters with an agreement for the landlord to repair Government flats a “mockery” of the allocation process.

The statement from Action for Housing comes after a GBC report where the Minister for Housing, Pat Orfila, “stated that two sitting tenants who had been renting in private housing were rehoused at Alameda Estate”.

Action for Housing said that Ms Orfila explained that this happened following an agreement between herself and a private landlord and because the two tenants were ‘high’ on the
housing waiting list.

The group said that, under direct instruction from Ms Orfila, four vacant government flats at Alameda Estate were handed to a private landlord.

“This came under an agreement by which the landlord would repair these government-owned flats at his own expense to then rehouse his own sitting tenants in them,” Action for Housing said.

“His dilapidated property would then be free of sitting tenants which would enable him to renovate it for the very lucrative open market. This alarming agreement raised several important issues which we mentioned at the time.”

Action for Housing said it challenges Ms Orfila on this matter.

“She confirmed that these two sitting tenants were high on the housing waiting list, however, we have information to prove that what the Minister said was not correct,” the group said.

“One of these two tenants was 16th on the waiting list.”

“Not at the top by any means and quite low on the list which by present normal waiting time standards would have taken them a few years to reach the top.”

“Instead, he was allowed to jump the queue, thus making a mockery of the much-trumpeted policy of fair allocations through chronological order.”