The Housing Development Corporation (HDC) says it has accommodated applicants of the unfinished Trestrail Development townhouse project, with an option to rescind their agreements and reimburse their deposits.
The corporation issued a statement on Wednesday, denying what it said was “false information” published in another newspaper last week about the would-be homeowners' deposits.
The article highlighted defects outlined by an engineering firm with respect to the 110-unit Trestrail Development project in D’Abadie on behalf of the Housing Development Corporation.
The report also said there was a lack of a timelines for the completion of repairs by either the contractor or HDC, even though, according to the newspaper, “mortgage agreements for most, if not all, apartment units are closed/have been completed.”
The HDC, in a press release on Wednesday, said this assertion was “false,” as potential tenants were allowed to withdraw their deposits on the apartments.
“This is, in fact, incorrect. To maintain transparency, in 2022, the HDC wrote to potential tenants of Trestrail Lands, D'Abadie, informing them that there were still outstanding works to be conducted on the site which will continue to delay the actual completion of the unit.
The HDC, it wrote, “offered several options to its applicants, one of which included rescinding the existing agreement for sale and reimbursing their deposits.
“At no point did the corporation think it wise to inconvenience the applicants by keeping their funds for a later date or completing the mortgage process.”
The HDC said while people have a right to “glean information” under the Freedom of Information Act, it is “wary of individuals requesting confidential information about its programmes and projects to create mischief in the public domain.”
It said it “remains transparent in its processes,” and highlighted the
live broadcast of a random selection draw for 250 new homeowners as an example of its transparency.
The HDC said it would "uphold its mandate to be internationally recognised as a leader in providing innovative and affordable services and solutions for the citizens of TT.”
The project was stalled after the HDC was guided by a 381-page report prepared by engineering firm CEP Ltd last year,
advising the corporation about a number of defects found in the buildings and foundations of the townhouses.
Construction on the project started in 2017.
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