Apenisa Waqairadovu 
[File Photo]
More than half of the 1,700 tenants of the Public Rental Board should have vacated their flats long ago.
The PRB, established decades ago, was intended to provide temporary accommodation until families were able to save and move into homes of their own. However, many have remained in the units far longer, taking advantage of the arrangement.
General Manager Timoci Naleba says enforcement is now being strengthened to ensure families transition out of PRB housing, making room for others who need the same opportunity to save and eventually move towards home ownership.
“We have a lot of families that are now second and third generation living in our current flats, so that is a big challenge not only with us but with the families as well.”
PRB General Manager Timoci Naleba.
The PRB will tread carefully, but tough measures need to be enforced to ensure fairness.
“The fact that they are there and they are being subsidised and they have enough time to buy their own land and build their own homes, and that is the case that is being currently assessed because we have to be fair to those who are looking for flats, especially young families, that’s just started.”
Housing demand in the country is at an all-time high, with the PRB and other stakeholders aiming to provide over 1,000 units per year.
The rise in demand is being felt not only in Suva but also in other urban centres.
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