NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Irate homeowners in a Fort Charlotte subdivision have called on Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis to fulfill his pledge of a $40,000 rebate on the government homes they purchased and for the government to address structural issues with those residences.
Veron Pratt, president of the Ardastra Gardens Estates #3 Homeowners Association, told Eyewitness News the prime minister had yet to deliver on the rebate he referenced during debate on the proposed 83-acre Prospect Ridge subdivision.
Pratt said: “The prime minister in the House of Assembly said that when he first came in, he found that the houses here in Ardastra #3 were priced at $182,000 and houses were only valued at $142,000. He dropped the price from $182,000 to $142,000. We never got a rebate. The persons he may have been referring to are probably the last six houses constructed here. There are 60 homes here. Only one is not occupied. Out of the 60 homes, maybe six got the rebate. The rest of us have been fighting for over two years and never got it.”
Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira had previously stated in Parliament that under the former Christie administration, Bahamians were, in many cases, being overcharged between $20,000 to $40,000 for homes developed by Arawak Homes, an assertion Arawak Homes President Franon Wilson has previously denied.
Pratt told Eyewitness News that homeowners also were battling numerous structural issues with their homes.
“One of the first issues was we had to get truckloads of fill to fill the properties. There were plumbing issues, lighting issues, termites and everyone had issues with the walls cracking. It was just poor workmanship. We tried taking our concerns to the Ministry of Housing and they are saying that after one year they are no longer responsible for these issues,” said Pratt.
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