Turn Key Homes will return with more varieties – Housing Ministers

Turn-Key Homes will be back with various models to choose from

Guyanese can look forward to the return of turn key homes with various models to choose from.

This was disclosed by Minister within the Ministry of Housing and Water, Susan Rodrigues, according to a report by the Department of Public Information (DPI).

“We have different models, so that persons can choose, if they want a flat house, a two-storey house, two or three bedrooms; we have different models we will be working with, that are affordable because we will be giving out contracts to private developers and some the Ministry will build and this way, it is cheaper,” she said on the NCN programme “Budget 2020”.

Minister within the Ministry of Housing Susan Rodrigues

Minister Rodrigues stated that many first-time home owners who may proceed to build their homes do not know a contractor, electrician or a plumber and will have to take time off from work to transact the business to construction their homes.

“Many times, what happen in our country, you will get a contractor who claims to be a contractor and persons end up unhappy with their results of their homes. Once someone is qualified, [and] can afford the turn key home as a young professional, we can provide you with that home, it will be soundly built because we have to go through the process where we scrutinize and make sure that the contractor has the requisite skills and resources to build that home. So, persons instead of being allocated a house lot, they can move into their homes… [and] start their lives,” Minister Rodrigues pointed out.

To effectively boost the turnkey project and land allocation for young professionals, Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, said the Ministry recently met with the Banking Association to propel the project.

Housing and Water Minister Colin Croal

“They are fully on board and the collaboration will focus on accessibility for homeowners. We will also have a policy too that once we issue a letter of allocation that you can take, once there is confirmation, so that the process at the bank will be fast-tracked… That engagement is currently ongoing at the bank, in terms of even bringing the interest rate down a little more. So, we have followed up meetings that are ongoing, but certainly, we will be working very closely with the Banking Association and they have responded positively,” Minster Croal informed.

The Turn-Key Home Project was part of the 1000-Homes Project which was launched by the Central Housing and Planning Authority in 2011 under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, construction of the houses had begun in 2014. However, the project was halted in 2016, one year after the previous APNU+AFC administration took office in 2015.