SAMUELS
THE EDITOR, Sir:
THE ARTICLE published in The Gleaner of May 25, 2005 in your Insurance Helpline column, consisted of a letter from one of your readers and the response from the columnist, Mr. Cedric Stephens. The National Housing Trust (NHT) wishes to respond to the article.
The writer noted that she had utilised NHT mortgage funds to purchase a unit in a private development. She further said she was experiencing difficulties with the unit as there were cracks in the unit that caused water to seep through whenever it rained.
While the NHT regrets the inconvenience being experienced by the writer of the letter, we must point out that as a mortgage funding institution we cannot accept responsibility for a housing unit purchased from a third party, which in this instance happens to be a private
developer. This is because our policy does not cover possible defects in units bought on the open market, whether the unit was purchased from an individual or a company.
The onus is therefore on the writer to seek a redress from the relevant party, i.e. the vendor of the unit, and not the NHT as your columnist
has erroneously advised her.
We have also made contact with the letter writer based on the email address supplied, and have advised her of the NHT's position in the matter.
EARL SAMUELS
Managing director
National Housing Trust
