PRB Tenants Warned to be Responsible or Face Eviction
Minister for Housing Premila Kumar says the Public Rental Board ( PRB) has failed to perform their duties in the proper monitoring of PRB flats and its tenants. She made this statement following the alleged bloody attack incident which occurred at the Mead Road PRB flats last Sunday. “There has been a lot of weakness on the part of PRB,” Ms Kumar said.
“If you see a flat with one bedroom, there could be 15 people living in these flats when it’s clearly stipulated in the agreement that one person is allowed in it,” she said. “PRB cannot deny that they do not know. PRB flats have been known for their illegal activities; it’s a fact.”
She said there has been a failure on the part of PRB in not monitoring and taking legal action against these tenants. “All these issues festered over the years, if they had seriously looked at the rules and regulations and enforced it the situation would have not what it has been today. This is what has come about because of poor monitoring.”
She said PRB and Housing Authority was the statutory organisation and they had appointed the board to look at monitoring the flats.
“It is the responsibility of the board to strengthen both the organisation and that’s why the board is appointed. “They have to clean up the system.”
Eviction an option if tents do not comply
Ms Kumar made a stern warning to PRB tenants. She said tenants who have their rent subsidised by the Government would face eviction, if they do not comply with their tenancy agreement and are found to be acting irresponsibly in their flats
She said the ministry wanted responsible people to reside in PRB flats.
“We are going to look into this matter in detail and we will come up with some strategies and if we find that social welfare recipients and those tenants that are subsidised by the Government are not acting responsibly they will be evicted, they must be evicted,” Ms Kumar said.
“They cannot become a nuisance to other tenants, we need to protect other tenants who are raising their family and have complained so many times of the noise, fights and other issues that have been raised.”
She said tenants in PRB flats in Mead Road are subsidised by the Government, taking into consideration the financial constraints that many of them face.
“All in good faith the flat is given to the tenant and we expect the tenant to follow the tenancy agreement which is signed between the tenant and PRB,” the minister said. “Now what we noticed is that when a flat is given to a tenant, the tenant is irresponsible.
“The tenant allows his or her children and grandchildren to come and stay in that flat.
“Again, on one hand, Government is subsidising the rent and they are also on social welfare. Then why are they entertaining their adult children who should be working and living on their own and not in these flats?”
She said at Mead Road, there was a lot of money spent in renovating the blocks, however CCTV cameras were destroyed, vandalised and removed.
The attack incident
She said investigation reports noted that the woman who was the owner of the flat where the incident that took place last Sunday was a 57-year-old who allowed her son, daughter and grandchildren to live in the flat which was not allowed.
“When you read the report, the flat owner was away, his son invited outsiders, they had a drinking party, not only grog, but alcohol consumption,” Ms Kumar said.
“On one hand, tenants are saying they are extremely poor they cannot afford the rent and the Government subsidises them. I’m urging the board, the Housing Authority board to look into this matter, to address these issues. It cannot continue like this, otherwise taxpayers’ money are being wasted.”