Twenty-one years after moving into her National Housing Corporation unit in The Pine, St Michael, Ingrid
Ramsay is calling for the transfer of ownership in accordance with the long-term agreement she signed.
The resident of Milhurst Lane, Golden Rock, St Michael, said that for the past 21 years she had rented the NHC unit and as per the 20-year programme agreement – established in a 2008 policy under the then Democratic Labour Party government – any tenant residing in NHC housing units for 20 years or more would be able to claim ownership once their rent payments were up to date.
However, the frustrated Ramsay claimed that the transfer of ownership had stalled and she was still paying rent for the house she shared with her teenage son, despite crossing the two-decade threshold.
“They [NHC] said I have to wait because they put it on hold. I said I was going to work along with it till they get back but they’re still getting money every week out of my salary.
“I’ve been living here for 21 years, I’ve done a lot of repairs to the house and I’ve spent money to upgrade it. They send me light bills and stuff, I pay them up to date and all the rent,” she explained.
A community development worker, Ramsay said that her finances had been stretched by the rent she continued to pay. Additionally, she claimed that the house came with several issues that she had to repair out of pocket.
As she spoke to the Weekend Nation, Ramsay showed the news team some of the problem areas in the house.
There are watermarks along the ceiling from water leaking in after heavy rainfall.
This caused her son’s bed to be damaged, requiring her to buy another one at the expense of $800.
A recent issue with leaking bathroom pipes also left her with a surge in her water bill.
“I am a half-day worker, I only get $610 every two weeks and I have to . . . send my son to school. I tell National Housing I don’t have the money. I can’t repair the house anymore because of all the money I put into it.
“I spend over $40 000 in maintenance. I tiled the house, I do all this work to this house.
All of this is my house,” she added.
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