Certain public housing developments undertaken by the Ibavi housing agency during the period of the last government have defects of such significance that prospective tenants have declined to move in.
These are housing units that were built from experimental architectural designs. The results include cracks, doors and windows that don't close properly, dampness, leaks and crumbling sandstone.
At one development in Palma that was completed just before the 2023 elections, a resident details a lack of quality that makes even walking barefoot uncomfortable. Walls release dust that can cause health problems. Poor finishing is the cause of problems like dampness.
Ibavi has been sent a letter with these details, the housing agency admitting that there have been a number of complaints about "substandard housing" and properties that are "unfinished". The agency has never before received so many complaints and nor has it been faced with so many tenants turning down the offers. In one Palma development, fifteen of the thirty apartments have been rejected. The walls and floors are made of adobe; rooms are that small that fitting beds and wardrobes in is nigh on impossible.
There have also been complaints about the lack of heating and cooling systems. Experimental insulation has not worked. The current government does allow air-conditioning units to be installed, which the previous government did not.
Ibavi is now seeking to address all the deficiencies, including those related to compliance with the building code.