Local News
Trust Issues Arise for Tenants and Descendants on Codrington Trust Managed Land
Tenants and descendants on land managed by the Codrington Trust express trust issues and delays in receiving title deeds, prompting the formation of the Tenants and Farmers Union to voice concerns to the Trust. Some tenants allege overpayment and lack of information about legal options. Residents held a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Housing and Lands to address the issues. The Ministry confirmed eligibility to purchase land based on certain acts and offered assistance. The Ministry and the National Housing Corporation promised to resolve the concerns.
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Originally published by barbadostoday.bb (opens in new tab)
Tenants and descendants on land managed by the Codrington Trust say they are having trust issues with officials of that estate, with some of them complaining that years after paying for the spot of land they occupy, they are still awaiting title deeds.
This has prompted residents Junior Mayers and Ras Ian to form the Tenants and Farmers Union to collectively put forward their concerns to the Codrington Trust.
However, Mayers said they were forced to organise a meeting last Saturday at the Codrington College location, providing an opportunity for residents to share their concerns with officials of the Ministry of Housing and Lands after they seemed to be getting nowhere with officials of the Trust.
“We are having issues trusting Codrington Trust. Descendants and tenants have trust issues with Codrington. It is a very serious matter because they are trusted with managing the estate on our behalf,” said Mayers. “There is a great amount of mistrust. Codrington received the funds for lands and are yet to transfer these lands.”
Some of the tenants who occupy lands in College Savannah, Blades Hill, Consett Bay and areas around The Lodge School complained that they made payments for their spots as far back as 10 years ago and were yet to receive the necessary paperwork saying ownership of the land has been transferred to them.
Some residents also complained that they paid more than they should have, based on the Tenantry Freehold Purchase Act. What is more, the tenants said they made the payment directly to officials at Codrington Trust and were not informed they had the option to use a lawyer of their own or one from the National Housing Corporation (NHC).
Mayers said due to those concerns, he and other members of the community decided to hold the discussion last Saturday and reached out to officials from the Ministry of Housing and Lands to get some help.
“We invited members of the Ministry of Housing and Lands to discuss the issues and shed some light on their concerns,” he said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Housing and Lands Niki Smith told the disgruntled residents that the landlords had the option to refuse to sell their land to tenants for whatever reason.
However, he said he was surprised to learn that after agreeing to sell the tenants and descendants the land and the residents making payments, they were yet to be given their conveyance.
“We are a little surprised to hear that people aren’t getting their titles, having paid. But then we will have to look at each individual situation to see who you paid your money to, if you have your receipts, and what are the difficulties with the land being transferred,” said Smith.
