Latest update January 13th, 2026 12:59 AM
APNU promises to lower land application age to 18
APNU Vice Presidential Candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul
Kaieteur News – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has announced plans to lower the age requirement for land applications from 21 to 18 years if elected to office.
This proposal was made public on Saturday by APNU vice presidential candidate, Ganesh Mahipaul, during a party rally held in New Amsterdam, Region Six.
Addressing a crowd of supporters, Mahipaul said this policy shift is part of APNU’s broader vision to improve access to housing for young people. He explained that in the party’s upcoming manifesto, persons aged 18 and older would not only be eligible to apply for land, but would also benefit from APNU’s proposed rent-to-own housing initiative.
“In the housing sector right now, if you are not 21 years old, you cannot put in an application,” Mahipaul stated. “I am saying to you, with the confidence of our president Aubrey Norton, that one of the first actions we will take on September 1 will be to remove that age to 21 and take it 18 years old.”
He added that 18-year-olds should be entrusted with homeownership, especially since they are already legally allowed to vote and drive. “If at 18 you are old enough to vote, then you are old enough to own your own home. And the policies that we have for the rent to own, it means that when you finish paying off what is the cost of the home, it will be yours, that is what we have in store for you,” Mahipaul stated.
He further stated that the policies in APNU’s soon-to-be-released manifesto are designed with ordinary citizens in mind. “Everything that we have in our manifesto that we will be releasing to the public soon caters for me and you, it caters for the ordinary,” Mahipaul asserted.
The current policy requiring applicants to be 21 years or older was reintroduced in 2020 by the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA). Minister of Housing and Water, Collin Croal, announced the change during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI), noting that although the previous APNU+AFC government had lowered the age to 18 in 2017, such an initiative was not practical. “The last government did reduce the policy to 18 years, but in all practicality, if you are approaching the bank for a loan, there are certain requirements that they seek,” Croal said. He further explained that the requirements included having an employment history up to three years and many 18-year-old applicants could not produce this and other necessary requirements to banks and other institutions, leaving the CH&PA system with void lots.
Under the previous APNU+AFC administration, then-Minister of Housing Valerie Patterson introduced a compromise that allowed 18-year-olds to apply for house lots, but actual allocations would only be made once the applicants turned 21. However, Minister Croal later argued that, despite the opportunity to apply early, many young applicants lacked the financial means to complete the process.
During that period, many young Guyanese were outraged with the new policy and took to social media to raise their concerns. Most of them contended that applying for a house lot at 18 years old is a wise decision since there is a lengthy processing time and, adding to that, an allocation is only done once the applicant reaches 21. It was stated that if they apply at 18, they would have the time to raise the necessary finances so that they would be able to pay for the house lot once it is allocated.
The youths also raised the point that at 18, young people can get their driver’s licence and be eligible to determine who leads them by voting so there was no reason why they should not be able to access a plot of land.
If put into action, APNU’s plan could make it much easier for young people to own land, promoting development among the youth countrywide.
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