The Government remains committed to recovering rent arrears and is actively implementing measures both to recover what is owed and to prevent further arrears being accrued.

A strategy is in place which has been implemented over the last 6 months. This includes an improved policy in respect of Care of Address, and the introduction of a requirement for rent to be up to date in order to renew ID documents or request a home exchange.

Other planned measures applied to tenants in arrears include:

• ⁠⁠Removal of sheds from tenants in arrears
• ⁠⁠Removal of parking spaces / permits
• ⁠⁠Business licence checks
• ⁠⁠Beach Shed checks
• ⁠⁠Fishing licence checks
• ⁠Application for permanent residence in Gibraltar check
• ⁠Application for exemption from immigration control check
• ⁠No non-emergency works will be carried out by the Housing Works Agency

As highlighted by the Principal Auditor’s report, approximately 7% of tenants in arrears account for approximately 52% of the debt owed, and a vast majority of tenants do pay their rent in full and on time. The Government also feels it is important to provide context to this with the fact that in some extreme cases, rental arrears have been accrued by some of the most vulnerable in our community, and in these circumstances the Government has exercised leniency on humanitarian grounds.

The Minister for Housing, the Hon Pat Orfila, said: ‘The Government remains committed to recovering rental arrears from the very small minority who have historically refused to pay. As acknowledged by the Principal Auditor, we have so far been very successful at preventing further arrears from accruing, for example through removal of parking spaces and by making sure that rent is deducted directly from salaries, and we are also working on policies to strengthen our ability to do so. It must also be said that the vast majority of Government tenants do pay their rents in full and on time.’