By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

ECONOMIC Affairs Minister Jerome Fitzgerald said rents in The Bahamas are “extremely high” and the government needs to strengthen the Rent Control Unit as complaints mount over prices and the condition of rental properties.

Mr Fitzgerald said the government has received complaints from renters about what they consider exorbitant charges and has been told the unit responsible for these matters needs additional staff.

He also signalled that the government’s concern extends beyond what tenants are being charged to whether landlords are maintaining properties to an acceptable standard.

“The upkeep and maintenance of facilities that are rented is also a major concern for the government,” Mr Fitzgerald said, “that people are getting value for what they're paying, and landowners and landlords are required to keep their rental units at a certain standard.”

He said those issues would form part of the government’s broader examination of the rental market.

Mr Fitzgerald said he has spoken with the officer responsible for the Rent Control Unit, who said additional personnel are needed to handle the workload.

He has also begun discussions with Housing and Land Reform Minister Keith Bell as the government advances previously announced plans to reform rental laws.

Mr Bell said about a month ago that the Davis administration intended to move quickly on rent-control legislation once Parliament reopened.

The proposed changes are expected to address rental prices and strengthen protections for tenants, while also accounting for landlords’ financial obligations, including mortgage payments.

Mr Bell has previously raised concerns about conditions in some rental properties, including allegations that landlords have disconnected electricity and water.

He said the government wants to restore a better balance between landlords and tenants, particularly because renters can be in a weaker bargaining position.

At the same time, the government’s planned intervention comes against a broader housing shortage. An Inter-American Development Bank assessment reported an annual shortfall of about 900 new homes between 2010 and 2022, amounting to roughly 10,800 fewer homes than demand over that period. The report also warned that existing rent-control rules and tenant protections can discourage landlords from entering the long-term rental market.