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Most ‘defects or snags’ now rectified Housing Minister tells Parliament

Only “very minor” defects or snagging issues remain to be tackled at the new affordable homes, the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo told Parliament yesterday.

He was speaking during a question and answer session in which the Government was asked how many complaints it had received from the purchasers of new affordable homes in relation to defects in either homes or the estate.

“Any defects arising from the sale of new affordable homes are tackled as part of the snagging process when sales are completed,” Housing Minister, Samantha Sacramento, replied.

She further stated that these are not considered complaints as such and that most defects or ‘snags’ have now been rectified and only a few remain to be addressed, mainly in the case of the more recent completions.

Prompted by the Leader of the Opposition, Daniel Feetham, Ms Sacramento outlined the type of ‘defects’.

These include security issues owing to the barriers at Beach View Terraces – which have now been replaced – snags in the communal water pump and the lifts – which have been looked in to.

Ms Sacramento added that she along with the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, met with the Committee at Beach View Terraces to discuss their concerns.

Anything that may be pending, she said, is of course going to be tackled.

She will also meet with the Caretaker team at Mons Calpe Mews ‘very shortly’.

Ms Sacramaneto added: “These are issues which are generally latent defects from the construction which the Caretaker Committee wanted to discuss with the Government and give our assurance that we would deal with these appropriately with the contractor.”

“If Government has dealt with the defects that unfortunately the tenants at Nelson’s View, Bayview and Cumberland Terraces inherited and that’s something that we inherited as a government because those defects were not dealt with by the administration at the time and is something that we committed to remedy, then of course we are going to remedy any latent defects which may arise from these construction projects.”

Mr Feetham pressed her to detail what the defects yet to be tackled are.

Mr Picardo took to his feet to tell the House that “…we are dealing with really very, very, very minor issues.”