Tenants from the Bermuda Housing Trust protested proposed rent increases on the steps of Parliament yesterday, calling on Government to prevent increases which in some cases will double the seniors' rents.

However Health Minister Patrice Minors, who met with the seniors on behalf of the Cabinet, reiterated the promise to consider rents on a case-by-case basis. Seniors told they did not believe that promise, saying every tenant had received a letter with the proposed rent increases from the Rent Commissioner. "They're all going up to the same amount," one senior said. "They seem to have $650 on the brain."

A representative from the Bermuda Housing Corporation called tenants eligible for Financial Assistance to make appointments for them last week and volunteer to go with them, one senior said.

At the beginning of last week, she said, those seniors were willing to protest at Parliament yesterday ? however by Wednesday they had changed their minds. The seniors and the UBP's Louise Jackson both voiced fears the seniors had been threatened in some way.

The Financial Assistance money, the senior said, will come out of the pockets of taxpayers. "I don't see any money coming out of the clouds."

Seniors also said that in September Financial Assistance made appointments to visit tenants for an "inspection" ? which turned out to be an examination of their financial status. "Why say it was for an inspection, why not say they're raising the rent and so they want to find out your financial situation?" one senior complained.

Some seniors, they added, have not even been assessed yet.

During meetings with the BHT, seniors said, the Trust stated that one reason for the rent increases was to generate income for the future building of more Trust properties.

However, "They don't take care of the places they have right now," the seniors, who did not wish to be named, said. The majority of tenants have some maintenance problem, they said, listing rotten doors, decrepit cabinets, and so on. Five years ago a maintenance inspection was held and problems written down, but nothing ever done about them ? "and now they're saying there's a lot of maintenance".

At Hayden Trust, one woman said, the properties run out of water every two weeks. "There's obviously a leak," she said. "But they don't check. Instead, every two weeks they send ten loads of water. It's been happening every two weeks for a year. It must be the only place in Bermuda that receives water every two weeks."

The maintenance men who do attend the properties have no idea what to do, they added. "They do landscaping every two weeks ? but there's no grass to cut."

"You can not run a country in this manner," one senior told Mrs. Minors. "We are not going to stand on the sideline.

"We are representing all the elderly in this country, wealthy and poor," he said to cheers. "We will take this stand here seriously. The young ones are watching, they are the future ... If we cannot set a guideline, we're going to have more problems."

Mrs. Minors, standing side-by-side with her permanent secretary Kevin Monkman, told the seniors Government would continue to do all it can to meet the Social Agenda.

"The Minister (of Housing Ashfield DeVent, who was off the Island yesterday) has repeatedly said that each case will be looked at separately based on the income available and on a case-by-case basis," she said. In an e-mailed Press statement the Minister detailed support services already offered to seniors by Government, and reiterated promises made in the Throne Speech, particularly regarding the health of the elderly.

The BHT is a Trust set up independent of Government to create affordable housing at below-market levels for seniors. It is managed by the Bermuda Housing Corporation, a Government quango.