Penalties coming for owners of poorly maintained buildings

In addition to landowners being fined for unkempt lots, people with poorly maintained and neglected buildings will also be penalised under new laws which Prime Minister Mia Mottley is hoping will be laid in Parliament by October.

Attorney General Dale Marshall said work was being done “fairly steadily” on the legislation although he did not give a date for completion.

“But there have been some challenges. You will see that every week there is new legislation before Parliament. We do have a shortage of draughtsmen and draughtswomen and, therefore, it is taking a bit of time,” he said on Tuesday night during the St Andrew Speaks town hall meeting at the Alleyne School.

“In addition to that, the Prime Minister has added a little to it because she also wants us to put arrangements in place to make sure that people maintain not just the grounds but also the buildings that are on the grounds. So that has added a little wrinkle, but we are working on it assiduously.”

Mottley, who indicated at the end of 2019 that her administration would be introducing and enforcing legislation to punish negligent landowners by imposing a civil fine, expressed disgust at those not taking care of their properties.

“One of the reasons the AG is bringing legislation by October to deal with bush on private properties is because it is foolishness for people to benefit from the value of their property going up, and the sale of the property, but while you own the property you have the bush growing three, four, five, six feet high.

“The country cannot carry the burden anymore of recalcitrant landowners who do not want to keep their properties clean. Therefore, the Government is prepared in the interest of the public health and public safety of the country to do it, but if we do it, it is going to go on your land tax bill and in addition to that you will get a fine – a civil penalty – that is separate from the cost of cleaning up the bush,” the Prime Minister said.

She added that she hoped the changes to the law would result in property owners cleaning their properties and caring more for the buildings on their lots all year round.

“When they do, it means a lot of people will get extra work in all the communities across Barbados,” Mottley added. (MM)