Government has zeroed in on 25 vacant and derelict homes it will renovate for sale or rent.

And if the owners are not found properties will be taken over by Government as it battles to reduce the emergency housing waiting list which stands at around 280 people.

Work will be funded out of a $45 million housing kitty with the process starting on the first property within the next two weeks. A housing task force of various arms of Government has found and assessed potential homes.

Government will liaise with owners who can be found to rehabilitate the properties but it will compulsorily purchase those that are being fought over.

Public Safety and Housing Minister David Burch said: ?We have identified 25 target properties of a total of 200 properties listed so far.

?In those instances where owners cannot be identified from Government records, adverts will appear in the media appealing for the rightful owners to come forward.

?If that course of action fails to bring the desired result then the compulsory part of the exercise will be employed.?

He said there had been mixed results in locating owners and he encouraged people not to wait for the adverts if they have a vacant or derelict property but to work with Bermuda Housing Corporation to get it in use.

Government will use every channel to contact the owners including old-fashioned word of mouth.

Acting Attorney General Michael Scott said Government had checked out the legality of the moves.

The project involves all manner of property from boarded up apartments to roofless wrecks. Many are in disrepair as a result of family feuding.

Sen. Burch said: ?At the end of the day we would much prefer they worked with us to rehabilitate the property.

?They would own an asset which was generating revenue ? they then can squabble over some real money as opposed to something that?s deteriorating.

?We hope they will see the wisdom in that.

?We won?t try to get them to quit squabbling, although that would be nice.?

For compulsory purchases he said the property would be independently assessed to come up with a fair value for the property.

?Government would then purchase that property by placing the value of it in escrow, do the legal work, and get on with rehabilitating it.

?If, at some point in the future, a legitimate owner surfaced they would benefit from the proceeds of that purchase.?

In some cases houses are in such poor state they need demolishing.

Sen. Burch said in such cases there will be a lengthy process before houses are razed but he said building from fresh had certain advantages over adapting aged property.

Sen. Burch also said there was a successful scheme encouraging seniors to let Government rent out their spare apartments.

?We will guarantee rent, find you a tenant and replace your tenant if they are unsuitable and then return your property in the state we took it on.

?The response to that has been extremely encouraging.?

Sen. Burch said he was open to building higher to solve Bermuda?s housing problem and revealed Government was in fairly advanced discussions over a private/public partnership to build a five-storey apartment block.

It could provide around 54 units for singles or couples rather than families.

?We expect there will be some support for that from the Planning Department.?

But the Minister wouldn?t say where the units were located because talks with the private firm were not complete. ?I want independent evidence they actually own the property first, that?s the only thing. They are in negotiation to purchase the land.?

And still on the high rise theme he said the Perimeter Lane development in Pembroke, which was now in the tendering process, was five storeys in some places. ?We expect to break ground on that at the end of next month.?