Prime Minister Andrew Holness has warned contractors involved in the National Housing Trust (NHT) Guaranteed Purchase Programme (GPP) that they will face legal action if they fail to comply with the terms of their contracts.

Holness said that so far, the programme is going smoothly. However, he said there have been instances where developers attempt to back out of their agreement after signing the contracts.

“The NHT will maintain a very strict posture in these agreements. We will carry all our contracts to court to be adjudicated if the contractors do not perform, and that should be absolutely clear. We will protect the interests of the Jamaican people, and we will protect the trust,” said Holness.

“It won’t be a situation where contractors can feel that because it is Government they don’t have to perform, or they may believe they know somebody, and therefore the NHT won’t take them to court. That’s not the case. So I want to be very clear with these programmes, that if you decide to sign up, be prepared to complete the contract as it is contracted,” the prime minister warned.

The prime minister was speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for Sheffield Palms in Westmoreland, where 60 two-bedroom units will be constructed under the GPP arrangement.

Under the GPP, the NHT will buy all or a portion of the units in housing developments done by private real estate developers. Developers are responsible for financing and planning the project, while the NHT undertakes the marketing risk in respect of the agreed number of solutions.

Holness shared that several projects under the GPP are in the planning stage or ready for implementation, namely the SilverSun Estate in St Catherine, Roseneath Park in St Catherine, Brompton Manor in St Elizabeth, among others.