ST JAMES, Jamaica (JIS) – Chairman of the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), Norman Brown, says the entity has some 19,000 land titles in its possession, which it will be handing over in short order.

“In our vault in Kingston, we have about 19,000 titles. Instructions are that we are to embark on a programme to get the titles into the hands of the landowners…a title is a game changer,” he noted. He said the documents will be presented before the two-year tenure of the current HAJ board expires next year.

Brown was addressing a function in Norwood, St James, yesterday, where more than 100 land titles were presented to residents for property that they occupy.

He informed that of the 19,000 titles to be delivered, 60 per cent are for residents of the parish. “When we leave, we want to take out that 60 per cent. (Those) who do not receive their title are those who do not want it,” he said.

Meanwhile, Brown urged the residents to appreciate the value of the titles, noting that some of them have been waiting for the document for more than 20 years.

“Today is a big deal. It is the first time that the Housing Agency of Jamaica, on one occasion, is presenting more than 100 titles to the owners of properties anywhere in Jamaica. You are now the owner of a piece of Jamaica; that is significant… for you, your children and your family,” he said. Managing Director of the HAJ, Gary Howell, said the ceremony marks the start of a “ramped up” effort by the agency to increase the number of legal landowners in Jamaica.

“The agency has made it a part of its mandate to regularise a number of brownfield settlements across Jamaica. Here in Norwood, the company has in excess of 1,500 titles to deliver, once persons have paid the requisite price for their lots,” he informed.