New policy for selling Non-Belonger Land Holding properties
The Ministry of Natural Resources & Labour has implemented a new policy that dictates how select properties for sale in the British Virgin Islands should be advertised.
The new policy states that all proposed sales of Non-Belonger Land Holding License properties must be advertised on the government’s website at bvi.gov.vg/nblhl.
This in addition to the existing policy of having a Non-Belonger Land Holding License properties advertised in the local newspapers for four consecutive weeks.
The new policy takes effect September 21.
A media release from the Ministry of Natural Resources & Labour said the policy change should help people who want to purchase lands and property in the Virgin Islands to have the information they need readily available.
The ministry further said this approach is also aimed at providing another form of exposing prospective sales of lands to a larger segment — especially the younger population and first-time landowners of the community — to what is available in the real estate market.
“This new digital listing is a demonstration of our adaptation to the increasing pace of the Information Age. We no longer have a choice but must become much more responsive in our customer relations. This policy adjustment, to receive digital listings from the public, was a decision made to simplify and expedite property sales and bring major improvements to the customer service experience,” Natural Resources Minister Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull said.
The ministry also welcomes feedback on this initiative at [email protected].
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PEOPLE WITH BELONGER STATUS SHOULD’VE NEVER BEEN GIVEN ALL THE PRIVILEGES AS A LOCAL BORN HERE
Policy is not law, and policies DO NOT replace law at your discretion!
Stop acting like you are Gods! There is a legal process to sell land, whatever your legal status maybe here. If you do not like it, then change the laws. Do NOT just make up a policy that is at odds with laws approved by Cabinet, and the HOA, just because it suits you, or the political narrative of the time.
Sick of ALL of you Government service making $hit up as you go acting as though it is law and treating adaptive policy rules differently for those you like and don’t like!
How about fast-tracking land sales and getting tax revenues into the Government my expeditiously? Maybe be charge extra for fast tracking services. Although, anything involving ‘fast’ is probably lost of most of our Civil Service.
In fact, the only thing Government seems quick to implement is new ‘policies’. 😉
Chupes. Next. Nothing. Worth noting at all.
Next pls.come forward & tell.us plain and honest all the ills you find that vincent left behind.There’s a whisper in the air about land sold next to dump site on VG pls air some info as was told that’s why no more burning.Just deliver as we in VG KNOW WE WERE SOLD OUT.
Ahh, so you one of the special people? So called indigenous person that is from another continent. Thankfully you are dying breed.
Then again you could still marry your cousin, or other family members and keep that blood pure!
Policy does not supersede law. Government better watch out they don’t get sued. They don’t learn from COI recommendations?
When will Government address the loss of stamp duty revenue. For example where the true value of property being sold is hidden to minimize stamp duty. This is common knowledge and nothing is done by the Department of Inland Revenue to address this. Millions of dollars lose in revenue. this has gone on for decades.
Seems they haven’t learned anything about the POLICY that caused all the craziness with Belonger/Residency status in terms of when one was eligible to apply. I do agree with the process of advertising as well so if the law needs to change then so be it.
I commend the efforts of the new Minister for this Ministry.
Serious consideration should be given to implement where applicable, by whatever means, a condition {for persons who become BELONGERS} restricting them from acquiring a certain amount of properties (perhaps no more then two (2))(developed or virgin)in the VI.
This seems fair enough but why not curtail the advertising requirement too so the expense can be avoided?
I’d also suggest that all job vacancies are placed on a central government website too as a prerequisite for work permit applications.
I do believe in BVIslanders/Belongers being given preference so let’s make it easy for everyone to know what opportunities are available.
I love this.why cause one man should not own an island.then.again two plus water rights.We in the BVI were sold like pig to fine market
When the white man come here and propose to pay more than the price asking, Its no problem. the white man buying all those land but when a belonger (black) there is always a problem. Not stating that the too pay taxes, support businesses and contribute to the development of the country.
No, no, no, no, no, you sold your lands for love of money and greed! Now you have lost it all you are bitter and childish. All that glitter, and flash has gone to dust and those that bought from you for the price you asked and are living and loving what they acquired fairly and legally. I bet at the time you got that cash you were laughing your a** off at the dumb $hit that bought it from you for the high price you asked!
So go look in a f-ing mirror and really ask who sold out their own lands to whomever! I am sorry you are so pathetic!
Belongers notorious for not paying gov. Bs.
The people here arguing are foreigners of light hue… there should be in place policies that prevent land being sold in secret and a majority of land assets bought up by one set of pp
the same ppl that then bar entry to beaches and large portions of the islands.
If policy isnt enough make it law. stop selling out the country!
If I could like your post a thousand times @ Soil Boy!
Sadly we are dealing with this issue in the Trunk Bay registration area. In 2015, persons of a certain hue purchased a lot of land as alien land-owners. A much smaller lot from the same parcel separated ours from theirs.
Instead of making us aware of the sale (knowing that we would be blocked off), they invited another person of their hue to purchase it. A house was then built right in front of ours (with not even proper parking) blocking off not only our Trunk Bay beach view, but most significantly our privacy!
Today both home-owners rent sections of their properties as Airbnbs while our home has been completely devalued! We cannot even rent our downstairs apartment for the going market rate.
I blame all the government agencies that allowed this debacle to take place – MNRL, T&CP, Survey Dept. and others. These agencies seemingly all operated independently of each other!
Worst of all, no one informed us of the sale of the property given its close proximity to ours so that we could have the option of purchasing it. No one cared what happened to us (who are of a darker hue) even though we had already made a significant investment in our relatively new property. What a shame!
We are almost like prisoners in our own home for the past 7 years as we keep our blinds shut most of the time. This is a nightmare of monumental proportions. Sadly, none of the governmental agencies involved have been willing to right this wrong that was done to us, despite our many, many, many complaints! I hope the Honourable Minister reads this.
To say we are hurting, is an understatement. No one understands the depth of the pain we feel on a DAILY basis. As a result of this very unfortunate situation (due to lack of proper laws and related policies), I agree that there needs to be full disclosure of properties for sale. There should be nothing secret about it! No other family should suffer the same fate. Why should local home-owners be disenfranchised for alien home-owners?
I would go a step further in saying that persons living in residential neighbourhoods should be made aware of proposed developments/structures and how those residents could be impacted. In our case, permission was granted for the home-owner to construct a two-storey building right in front of ours (just a few feet from the dividing road).
I apologise for this long, but necessary, comment! Only those who feel this type of pain will understand. It never goes away!
THANK YOU. I agree with you. I dont know why it wasnt done YEARS ago. If thought out properly it will allow the Dept of Labour to have some sort of oversight as to what the human resources needs are in this territory and whether there are Virgin Islanders suited for the jobs before looking outside. Does Labour even have a statistics section or Statician??? Just curious….
@Hurting Family
While your pain is clear, there are several things that don’t make sense. First, every sale to a non-belonger is advertised, so you should have seen an adjacent property was under contract, and as a belonger, you could have pre-empted it. Second, if there are other properties between yours and the sea, there will always be the chance that you will lose your view. Third, why would you expect that someone else would be denied the opportunity to build to protect your view and privacy.
Whats your problem? The properties are required to be in the newspaper all they are saying now is that they will be viewable online on the government website aswell.
You really just said a lot of nonsense insulting the government for no valid reason to this article that 40+ people ‘liked’
You all killed off the people that first inhabited these lands, so yes we are now the next to inherit the VI and if your Queen can marry her cousin and you honor her you should honor us as well. If your peoples did not leave us on these small Caribbean islands to die we would have had a larger pool of humans to marry. Anyway, don’t be jealous of our blessings that the great Lord did not give you all! You’re ancestors stole enough from the world to secure your people. If you did not get your share, take it up with them in h**l!