Dear Sir,

Thank you for the chance to join the debate through your letters column. I have been following both the housing shortage and the cost-of-living discussion through your pages. My conclusion is that we are victims of our own success.

Over the past 60 years or so, largely union-driven, wages for ordinary folk have climbed to where most of Bermuda might be termed to be middle class. Homeownership is as high as any country, and people have expectations of seeing their children, if academically qualified, head out to university. And all this has to be very good. But, to me, it helps to explain why things are so expensive in Bermuda. Add in the costs of importing all our goods and getting them on to the shelves and here we are. This is not a criticism and I can offer no easy solution beyond saying, “Shop carefully.”

Then we consider the housing shortage. Again, about 60 years ago, our resident population totalled more than it is today — yet in that time frame, thousands of houses/condominiums have been built. And still we appear to have a shortage.

Going back to our social improvement, back in the day, young people lived at home. They moved about the island on foot, by bicycle and on small motorcycles. And maybe buses. Cars numbered in the low thousands.

Fast forward to 2025 and we have our young people coming home trained and highly employable at a good wage. And once they are working, a two-wheeled vehicle is no longer sufficient. Dress code and hairstyles have changed the demand for personal transport. Four wheels are a priority. And funding for new cars is readily available.

The problem lies in that we allow only one car per Annual Rental Value number. So 20,000 ARVs mean 20,000 cars are the limit. Hence, the demand for studio and one-bedroom apartments. But already our roads are considered overcrowded. Again, our prosperity works against us.

Maybe a compromise might be to allow a second car to be registered to homes with four or more bedrooms. Not one each for husband and wife, but for an offspring. That may keep people living in the homestead.

As I say, no easy answer — and going back to being poor is definitely not an option. Have a nice day, everyone.

JEFF PAYNE

Southampton