Tenants of Government subsidised housing -- many of whom have expressed dismay at proposed rent hikes -- are to be assessed on a case-by-case basis the Health and Social Services Minister announced yesterday.

The Hon. Quinton Edness said he would be meeting personally with tenants to hear out complaints and assess individual cases.

"If the increased rent proves difficult, efforts will be made to work out another arrangement,'' he said.

Earlier this month it was announced that rents across-the-board would be raised to market levels and phased in over a three-year period starting from August 1.

But tenants, some retired, others jobless, reacted with alarm at the prospect of increases in excess of $200 a year.

Yesterday Mr. Edness admitted the hikes could prove an economic hardship for some.

To tackle the problem, Housing Corporation officials and the Minister himself will be meeting with tenants over the next few months to evaluate each case individually. Where rent increases meant financial hardship, concessions would be made, Mr. Edness said.

"It is not the intention of the Housing Corporation to be autocratic or put any unnecessary hardship on any of the tenants. We don't want to just kick them out. We want to discuss it with them.'' An assessment by the Housing Corporation, completed earlier this year showed that rents had fallen below the Annual Rentable Value or rent that could reasonably be expected for the units.

Government deliberately decided not to raise rents in 1992 -- the date of the last assessment, to help residents through the recession.

But the false perception that Government was now raising rents to match private sector levels had clouded the issue, Mr. Edness said.

"It is not our intention to bring rents in line with private sector rents,'' Mr. Edness declared yesterday.

It was also Government's aim to ferret out those who no longer needed subsidised housing to give others, more needy, the chance to find a home.

Those required to move out, will receive further assistance from the Housing Allowance Programme and help in finding new accommodation.

"There is a tremendous subsidy being applied to persons living in those units,'' Mr. Edness said."Rents have not been increased since 1992 and deliberately not put up during the recession but we feel they have to be increased now over a phased period.''