Minister warns ‘illegal tenants’ in MHC houses

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development Paul Chibingu has issued a stern warning to Malawi Housing Corporation (MHC) tenants who illegally sublet their houses to other people, saying government will prosecute them.

Chibingu said government aims to clamp down on abuse of MHC houses.

The Minister said he has knowledge that some people are renting out houses at a much higher rate and warned that the long arm of the law will catch up with them.

“I have a case in which a Malawi Defence Force soldier discovered that one of his neighbours is an illegal tenant and having approached officials at MHC since he was on the waiting list, he was told to identify the house illegally occupied,” said Chibingu, as quoted in the press.

The minister said tenancy cheats have been able to carry on with their fraudulent activity, denying social homes to people in real need.

Chibingu vowed to bring the scandal of MHC housing tenancy fraud and abuse to an end.

The Minister has since authorising the increase of MHC house rentals, saying “those who cannot afford to pay the new rates must move out of the houses so that others can occupy them.”