Dear Sir,

It is no longer debatable: Bermuda is in the throes of a housing crisis — and the Government is doing shockingly little to address it. Let’s start with the facts.

According to the 2023 Population and Housing Census, Bermuda has only 28,192 occupied households, despite a population of more than 64,000. Yet, as of 2025, hundreds of rental units are being diverted into the short-term rental market. Airbnb’s own data shows more than 400 active short-term listings in Bermuda, with the vast majority concentrated in areas that once housed local families.

These are not “extra rooms” or “vacation cottages” — many are full apartments or homes that could be providing long-term housing to Bermudians.

Meanwhile, the Bermuda Housing Corporation — our supposed safety net — has a six-month waitlist, according to the most recent public statement by its management. That’s half a year of uncertainty for families facing eviction, financial hardship or homelessness.

What are people supposed to do while they wait? Live in their cars?

As for the private rental market, it’s an unregulated circus. Rent control is a joke. A quick scan of recent listings shows two-bedroom apartments going for $4,500 to $7,500 per month. That’s more than 60 per cent of the median household income in Bermuda. The 2023 Household Expenditure Survey showed a median income of $8,703/month per household, but that figure is inflated by high earners. Many Bermudians, especially single parents, seniors and young professionals, don’t come close to that.

And landlords? They are free to discriminate without consequence. Tenants are rejected for having children, being unmarried, living with adult relatives, or simply not fitting a landlord's personal “vibe”. Discrimination based on family structure, race, age or gender is widespread — and entirely unregulated.

No one is checking. No one is enforcing.

Let’s not forget that more than 75 per cent of Bermudians under 35 still live at home, according to the 2023 Census data, many of them in multigenerational households not by choice, but out of necessity. Why? Because young adults cannot afford to rent, and cannot dream of buying in a market where starter homes list at $950,000 and up.

The Government continues to claim that it “understands the urgency”, yet we have seen no emergency housing policy, no rent cap legislation, no incentives for affordable development, and no limitations on short-term rentals.

What have we seen? Press releases, panels, studies and a lot of talk.

We are in a full-blown crisis. Not just a housing shortage, but a failure of governance.

If this were any other country, there would be protests in the streets. In Bermuda, we are too polite. Too quiet. But that silence is enabling the erosion of our right to housing, and the commodification of our community.

The numbers don’t lie. Bermuda is becoming unlivable for its own people.

JADA SIMMONS

Sandys