THE Housing Development Corporation (HDC) has been temporarily barred by the High Court from evicting an Arima plumber and his family after they filed an application for urgent injunctive relief over the weekend.
On Saturday night, Justice Frank Seepersad granted a forthwith injunction ordering the State-run housing company to immediately allow homeowner Steve Lawrence to re-enter his residence.
Court filings state that Lawrence and his late father had entered into a rent-to-own agreement with the HDC in 2008 for the property at Bluestone Street, Arima.
In his affidavit, Lawrence said that on June 5, while at work, about ten HDC agents accompanied by four police officers arrived at the house. His 17-year-old daughter, who was at home, contacted him, and when he returned, he was allegedly told by an HDC official, identified as Mr Hackshaw, that he was being evicted, had no paperwork, and was considered a squatter.
Despite producing his HDC identification card showing an account number and a history of payments, Lawrence claimed the officers removed all of his family’s belongings and loaded them onto a truck. He said he was never served with an eviction notice.
The following day, Lawrence went to the HDC office in Maloney in an attempt to recover clothing and his work tools, but security officers told him no items had been delivered there.
Since the incident, Lawrence and his three children have been without a home and have been relying on relatives and friends for shelter.
Following the filing of the documents, the judge ordered the HDC to immediately allow Lawrence to occupy the home. The court also directed the corporation to return all personal belongings to the property by 4 p.m., today and to search its records for the 2008 rent-to-own agreement and provide Lawrence with a copy by 1 p.m., tomorrow.
Lawrence’s attorney, Christina Carter, stated in court documents that her client’s original copy of the agreement was believed to have been misplaced or stolen after his father’s death in 2021.
She said when Lawrence later visited the HDC head office at South Quay, Port of Spain, a customer service representative confirmed that no eviction notice appeared on the system, although the account showed arrears. According to the filings, the representative also indicated that senior management had refused to provide a copy of the agreement.
The matter has been set for hearing on Thursday.
The court warned that any failure by the HDC to comply with the injunction could expose it to contempt proceedings, including the possible seizure of assets.
