Act N° 24 of 1946 - Housing Act - Guyana

(1) For the purposes of this Act there shall be constituted a housing and planning authority, to be called. The Central Housing and Planning Authority, vested with the powers and functions in this Act mentioned and charged with the duty of carrying out the provisions of this Act.

(2) The Central Housing and Planning Authority (hereinafter in this Act referred to as “the Central Authority”) shall be a body corporate.

(3) The Central Authority shall have power to hold lands.

(4) The seal of the Central Authority shall, when used, be authenticated by the signatures of the Chairman and of one other member of the Central Authority.

(5) Judicial, and official, notice shall be taken of the seal.

(6) The Central Authority shall have an office in the City of Georgetown.

(1) Any employer of labour, and any person of the working class, may, subject to this section, make application in writing to the Central Authority for an advance of money for the purpose of purchasing or constructing one or more houses or for carrying out alterations or repairs to any house or houses.

Assessment of compensation in case of compulsory acquisition

(1) Where land or buildings or any interest therein is or are acquired by the Central Authority compulsorily under this Act, compensation shall be payable by the Central Authority, to the owner of such land or building or interest therein, and the compensation shall, subject to this Act, be assessed and shall be paid according to the provisions of the Acquisition of Lands for Public Purposes Act.

(2) In assessing the amount of compensation payable to the owners of land or buildings or any interest therein acquired compulsorily by the Central Authority under this Act, regard shall be had to the following provisions:

(a) in the case of land with buildings thereon which are unfit for human habitation or are dangerous or injurious or likely to be injurious to the health of the inhabitants of the area, the compensation payable shall be the value of the site as a cleared site available for development without regard to any buildings existing thereon;

(b) in the case of land with buildings thereon in respect of which sanitary defects exist but which are not otherwise unfit for human habitation or dangerous or injurious or likely to be injurious to the health of the inhabitants of the area, the compensation payable shall be the site value as aforesaid together with the value of the buildings after deducting such amount as would be required to abate the sanitary defects;

Assessment of compensation in case of compulsory acquisition

(1) Where, in respect of a dwelling-house compulsorily acquired by the Central Authority under this Act for any of the purposes of this Act as being unfit for human habitation, the Minister is satisfied, after causing the house to be inspected by a Health Officer, that notwithstanding its sanitary defects it has been well maintained, the Minister may give directions for the making by the Central Authority of a payment under this section in respect of the house as hereinafter provided.