MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness has raised alarm over the abuse of the adverse possession system, warning people to be cautious when purchasing land without doing the requisite checks.

Pointing to a local case in which he said attempts are being made to capture 20 acres of government land for sale to unsuspecting individuals, Holness, who was speaking in Manchester Wednesday, said there are people who are deliberately going onto private lands and government lands and claiming ownership.

“There are persons who are abusing the system of adverse possession. One case has been brought to my attention, where 20 acres of government land is being cleared, [they’re] marking it up with red paint, dropping stakes as if they have a right to do so, and then sell lots to unsuspecting persons who are so desperate for land that they don’t go and check the register,” he said.

Holness was addressing a land titling ceremony at The Garden Hotel in Mandeville where 96 of 124 titles were presented under the systematic land registration programme. Residents from seven communities benefited from the programme in Manchester, namely Greenvale, Mike Town, Victoria Town, Claremount, Downs, Harmons, and Pusey Hill. The initiative aims to increase security of tenure by helping residents who have lived on a piece of land undisturbed for 12 or more years to officially claim ownership and receive land titles.

Holness said it’s unfortunate that unsuspecting people are caught in real estate fraud as they fail to verify the ownership of land or check for a subdivision application.

“We know that this is going on, and I have given directives to minister [without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Robert] Montague that one of the things he has to pay close attention to is to ensure that government land is not depleted,” he said.

He explained that the Government holds lands in trust and manages it for the people of Jamaica.

“There is some notion in the minds of the people that somehow the Government is trying to keep people from the land. Every Government has to have a land settlement policy,” he said.

“[This] is absolutely important to economic growth, and it is not on the basis that you are keeping people from land and you don’t want them to have the land, but the land settlement policy must be about orderly settlement.”

Holness reiterated that the abuse of adverse possession of land can lead to detrimental outcomes.

“Because what is going to happen if a few people abuse adverse possession and make a business out of taking over land that they don’t own? You think a poor person is going to get the land? You think you’re going to get road, water, and sewage on the land? You think you are going to be able to have modern living?” he asked.

“Look at all these communities that have sprung up informally. Lovely homes on many of them and they are all coming to the Government to complain [that] they want road, water, sewage, and it is almost impossible to deliver these services after they have built these lovely homes and facilities.”

He said correcting informal land settlements is a costly venture to put in the necessary infrastructure.

“When we re-survey we have to be moving fences, telling people they have to take off a piece of their house so that we can get in a roadway; it is very expensive after the fact to put in water and sewage,” said Holness.

“Garbage trucks cannot go in there, because the roads are not wide enough,” he added.

Holness said the Government’s policy of increasing the number of formal housing solutions is part of the remedy to resolve the challenges.

Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness (centre, background) and technocrats pose for a photo with beneficiaries of the systematic land registration programme, in Manchester on Wednesday. (Photo: Kasey Williams)