Thousands occupy lands without ownership proof

Klao Bell, Staff Reporter

Hundreds of thousands of parcels of land in rural Jamaica have been occupied by locals for generations without titles to prove ownership.

The Land Titles Division of the Ministry of Land and Environment confirmed "that some 300,000 parcels of land islandwide need to be registered." But the number could be much higher, according to the Land Surveyors Association of Jamaica (LSAJ).

"The number of parcels of land without titles must be in excess of 500,000 islandwide," said Horace Manderson, president of the LSAJ. "If we look at the St. Catherine situation alone, where under the LAMP (Land Administration Management Programme) they have identified 30,000 plots in parts of that parish - you can imagine what the situation is across the island."

LAMP is a Government programme designed to make titles available at a low cost to residents of several communities in rural St. Catherine.

The absence of ownership titles has created uncertainty for thousands of Jamaicans, according to Glendon Newsome, senior lecturer in the Department of Building and Land Management at the University of Technology and vice-president of the LSAJ.

"People who live on land without titles are not secure, someone can claim the land if they can come up with a title," Mr. Newsome said. "They could be prevented from borrowing money to build on their land or to pursue business ideas they may have. If those persons cannot access loans to pursue feasible business ventures, income is lost for both those persons and the country."

However, the Government has acknowledged that cost and time are great hindrances to title registration.

"The high cost and process involved in the registration of land have, over the years, deterred many landowners from acquiring a title for their property or from updating ownership data on an existing title," the Ministry of Land and Environment stated in a faxed response to Sunday Gleaner questions.

Fees charged by the attorney, land surveyor and titles office vary according to the value of the land. But legal experts explained that the cost of acquiring titles has been known to run anywhere from $30,000 to more than $100,000 - sometimes costing as much as the value of the land.

"For a small farmer, registration of a square of land - about say one tenth of an acre, can cost as much as the value of land," Mr. Newsome said.

Ruby Hemmings, who owns two properties in St. Catherine and St. Ann, has had to take her "own time" in arranging for titles because "it expensive." Ms. Hemmings said that the St. Ann property was surveyed last year and "it take about one year to finish and it cost me $19,000, now I have to go find lawyer fee." She said "mi born and see my grandmother on the land until it pass down to we."

The family recently decided to register the property because "my cousin want to borrow some money to build a house and my uncle don't want her to have any problems when him dead," she added.

Attorney, Edward Hanna, said that lack of awareness and education were also reasons why many parcels of land are unregistered.

"Many people don't understand what is required. You find that mostly people from the rural areas will need this type of service but are not aware of the process, sometimes they act on the encouragement of younger persons," Mr. Hanna explained.

Correct name withheld on request.

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