ST. CATHERINE, JAMAICA (BALLOONING PROBLEM) : Hellshire's Hell - Squatters Capture Unfinished, Abandoned Houses In Droves

Published:Sunday | May 31, 2015Corey Robinson

Squatters are taking over unfinished properties in Hellshire, St Catherine, sparking fear among legitimate homeowners about their safety and the depreciation in the value of their houses.

"It is a very serious matter," declared Oswald Morgan, president of the Upper Fort Joint Citizens' Association, which represents several Hellshire communities, including Seafort, Cannon Ridge and Edgehill, where the squatting problem is said to be ballooning.

One of the houses believed to be occupied by squatters in Hellshire

"There are persons who are there who have been authorised to be there by the owners of the premises, but then there are other persons who are there who do not have the authorisation; and it is very difficult to verify who is who," said Morgan.

He told our news team that Edgehill and Cannon Ridge are the areas with the most squatters, and the matter has been an agenda item of the citizens' association meetings for the last decade.

"It is a concern because you will see people in the area and you look and you don't know them," explained Morgan. "We are concerned that they might bring in friends who have other motives, and it makes people very uncomfortable."

According to Morgan, in many instances, the owners of the premises being taken over are living overseas or have otherwise abandoned the unfinished buildings, leaving them at the mercy of the unscrupulous. He said that the issue has been reported to the Portmore Municipal Council and the police, but little has been done to deal with the squatting issues in a sustained manner.

HARD TO VERIFY OCCUPIERS

"I know that the police have checked the communities in some instances, but the difficulty we are having is to verify who is legitimate and who is not legitimate," said Morgan.

"You go to a premises and the person said that they have the authority of the owner to be there. It is very difficult to verify that. So it is a very complicated issue." Elveta Thompson, general secretary at the All Hellshire Leadership Council, which represents 16 communities in Hellshire and parts of Greater Portmore, said she has awoken to strangers walking through her community of Seafort.

One of the houses believed to be occupied by squatters
in Hellshire/Ian Allen

"You will see faces walking in the community and nobody don't know them; it is the first anybody is seeing them. And what happens is that one person comes in and then him carry him friend dem come to the house," she said, theorising that the squatting will cause a depreciation in the value of properties in the "developing" community.

Seafort is a quiet beachfront community, the roads of which lead downhill to nearby Fort Clarence and other entertainment spots.

Resident must contend with blaring sound systems and nightly traffic congestion caused by patrons, yet the squatting issue is their major concern. more