JAMAICA | Opposition wants law regarding Adverse Possession of Government Lands to be Amended

KINGSTON, Jamaica, November 13, 2021 -  Opposition Spokesperson on Land, Environment & Climate Change, Senator Sophia Frazer-Binns is calling for amendments to the law to reduce the number of years required for poersons to be allowed adverse possession of Government lands. 

Senator Frazer-Binns during her State of the Nation Address  stated that, while the amendments to the Registration of Titles, Cadastral Mapping and Tenure Clarification Act and the Registration of Titles will result in some positive changes, ”The government could do more to transform the lives of people who have found refuge in unused land end the cycle of poverty for so many Jamaicans by reducing the length of time for adverse possession from 60 years to 12 years.”

The Opposition Senator, having long agitated for the recent amendments to the Registration of Titles Act has now set sight on “revolutionizing land titling” in Jamaica, starting with Government owned lands. She noted that, “104,810 Jamaicans living in informal settlements on Government owned land. Making the necessary amendments to the Registration of Titles Act would help to alleviate the issue of titling and home ownership that many of our citizens are facing.”

Senator Frazer-Binns commended the National Land Agency for the tremendous efforts that they have made in addressing the issue of titling, while noting that the legislative framework is needed in order for the NLA to do more. “We cannot be serious about titling and continue to place this burden on so many Jamaicans, who would have acquired ownership long ago if the land was privately owned”, said Frazer-Binns.

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