Speaking at the recent meeting of the Joint Select Committee appointed to consider and report on Government Ministries, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises held in the Parliament Chamber, Red House, Port of Spain last month, Garcia disclosed that more than 57 per cent of rental tenants were in arrears and over 8,000 mortgagors were behind with their payment schedule.

“… Some of the blame has to be put on the NHA and probably even the HDC because over the years, people believed they got a house and that they had no obligation to pay their mortgage or rent,” Garcia explained.

“In addition to that cultural aspect, there was the whole question of record keeping.

“Those issues have now been addressed by the introduction of the computerised systems.

“In terms of the mortgage, we have purchased with the help of the Ministry (of Housing) and would be introducing a programme called Five Years and we have a rental management system that is called Yardee.

“That has given us the ability for greater accuracy in our record-keeping.

“We are also in the process of setting up a special unit to deal with recoveries which would have its own manager and staff specifically mandated to deal with the arrears situation.

“As I said over the past few months, we have published advertisements calling in people; we have been very aggressive.

“In fact, on a daily basis I sign notices to quit.

“There are people who have not paid rents or mortgages in some instances in excess of 15 years.

“Just on Friday, there was a gentleman who came to see me.

“He had a $23,000 arrears rental and his rent was $300 a month; so that gives you an idea.

“There is a particular lady who lives in the United States who has a keeper and has a $77,000 mortgage arrears.

“She has not paid mortgage for the last nine years and is only now moving to pay the mortgage because we have taken steps to recover the unit.

“So we are balancing the scales.

“We want to exercise a certain amount of understanding and patience, but at the same time to bring people to the realisation that they have an obligation to pay their rent.

“Even in Port of Spain, we find that there have been a number of persons who have in excess of $10,000 and $12,000, although they are only paying $100 per month and that gives you an indication of what the arrears situation is like.”

Garcia also revealed that most of the delinquent tenants and homeowners are enjoying a good standard of living and, far from being impoverished, are in a good position to pay for their housing.

The HDC managing director continued: “… so as the HDC is currently structured, we have area officers in San Fernando, Tobago, Port of Spain, and Maloney and our officers are in fact liaising with the delinquent tenants or mortgagors and there is a programme to bring our mortgages and rentals to what I would call commercially acceptable levels because the same people who owe the HDC surprisingly have a functioning telephone, electricity, and most of them have either Cable or Direct TV so it is clear to us that they are capable of meeting their obligations because our rents vary between $100 and $350 per month and our mortgages vary between $260 to something per month to about $900 per month.

“So if you can pay Direct TV, telephone, cell and have the latest designer wear, it is not a question of inability to pay, but one of plain bad habits.

“There will be in all societies that exist what I would call social cases where people are either on social welfare, are unemployed or are on a minimum wage with five or six dependants; so there will be a small minority, but surprisingly let us take East Port of Spain: our tenants there by-and-large are all employed, so the level of unemployment or not having a job is not an issue.”

Garcia lamented the HDC’s poor record on implementation as it relates to the collection of rents and mortgages, but he quickly stressed that situation is one he is prepared to correct.

“… It is a cultural issue where over the past decades the whole question of enforcement, the question of the political will to enforce and carry out the collection of rents or people meeting their obligation or mortgages just did not seem to exist,” Garcia conceded.

“I am happy to report that since I have been at the NHA and now the HDC for the last three and a half years, we have had the support of our various ministries in our relentless drive to bring the mortgagors and rentals to commercially acceptable levels.”