Basseterre, St. Kitts ( May 09, 2007)
Some three years following the inception of the Civil Servants Housing Scheme implemented by the National Housing Corporation (NHC), 92 government employees have benefitted by becoming home owners.
Manager at NHC Mr. Wayland Vaughan explained that the process to own a home under this scheme is a fairly simple one as it was designed specifically to facilitate ease of transaction and construction for clients.
He stated that once a client approaches NHC, they are referred to the Development Bank of St. Kitts and Nevis where the loan amount for the home that matches their budget is determined. They then approach NHC a second time where details of the building process are given and project implementation begins.
The ceiling on loans for Civil Servant’s homes at NHC is $200, 000 unless the individual has funds from other sources to put into the construction of the home. It is also possible for the NHC to build a home on land that is already owned by the individual.
NHC Project Manager Bryan Dillion Sirjue said the eight home models under this scheme range in size from 616 to 1294 sq. ft.
The styles of the houses represent client needs and range anything from bachelor pad to family design. They also range from one to three bedroom, finished and semi-finished structures.
Clients have the opportunity to complete the project on their own by accepting a more affordable semi-finished structure which refers to an unpainted, untiled home with moderate carpentry.
It was noted however that a majority of home owner hopefuls go for the fully completed structures.
Housing options available to civil servants include affordable homes and town houses.