Dear Editor,
I wish to draw urgent attention to a disturbing trend in Georgetown and beyond: the exploitation of migrants, particularly Cubans and Venezuelans, through inhumane rental practices. Increasingly, property owners are charging rent per person rather than per room or per square foot. This system has led to overcrowding, indignity, and financial abuse.
In Georgetown, especially along Regent Street and surrounding areas, migrants are being crammed four to eight persons into small rooms, forced to share basic amenities like toilets and outdoor baths, while being charged between $30,000 and $50,000 per person. In many cases, the landlords themselves are not Guyanese, but foreign nationals, particularly Trinidadians and Nigerians, who have acquired properties and now exploit vulnerable tenants.
I have personally witnessed this exploitation. My housekeeper, a Cuban national, began renting a single-bedroom apartment with an outdoor toilet and bath on the East Coast Demerara. The property appears abandoned, yet the landlord raised the rent from $30,000 to $60,000 when her father joined her, and now to $90,000 with the arrival of her mother, despite no improvements to the property. This is not an isolated case; it is part of a growing crisis.
We all know the stories of our fathers and grandfathers who endured hardship abroad while seeking a better life. It is heartbreaking to see similar indignities inflicted upon hardworking people right here in our society. Migrants and low-income families deserve dignity, fairness, and humane treatment.
I therefore call on the Minister of Housing and Water, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, and the Regional and Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (RDCs and NDCs) to urgently investigate this matter. Start with central Georgetown, then extend inquiries to rural areas. Establish clear rental guidelines, rent should be charged by space, not by person. Introduce rent regulation measures to prevent arbitrary increases, require written rental agreements, and create mechanisms for tenants to report abuses.
Guyana must not allow exploitation to become normalized. Addressing this crisis will protect vulnerable communities and strengthen our reputation as a society rooted in dignity and compassion.