Two beds crammed into one room, termite infestation, poor ventilation and a sporadic water supply come at a price for Garrison and Lakita Martin: $400 a week.

The couple and their two daughters live in a tiny studio apartment on Camp Drive, Warwick and claim the $1,600 a month rent does not even include electricity.

The Martins say their landlord is treating them unfairly with an unreasonably high rent and they have since brought their concerns to Government's Department of Rent Commission, who are currently investigating the situation.

The couple claim their landlord, Vincent Richardson, is gouging them with electricity bills as high as $300 and demands payment without submitting to them a copy of the bill. They have also not been able to obtain a receipt from Mr. Richardson after making their payment towards the electricity.

After going to the Rent Commission for information about their situation, Mrs. Martin said they had not paid the electricity bill for the last two months as they believed Mr. Richardson should be including utility costs in the rent.

The couple said they pay $400 a week in rent on time every Monday.

“The lights are shut off when he sees fit,” Mrs. Martin told The Royal Gazette. “The stress is here for our family big time. We have no privacy, we're constantly trying to keep the place clean.”

Housing Minister Ashfield DeVent told The Royal Gazette yesterday that Government was challenged with finding accommodation for middle income families. “The Ministry of Housing is having problems with finding suitable accommodation at a rent working people can afford,” he said.

While Mr. DeVent expressed concerns for the Martin family he said tenants must inform themselves of their rights through the Rent Commission.

The Martins, who moved into the apartment after going from guest house to guest house in search of a place to live, have been pleading with their landlord to fix up the dilapidated apartment and reduce the rent to a price they can afford.

Mrs. Martin said she discovered the previous tenant was charged $800 a month.

In the tiny studio, two beds are crammed into the living room which opens onto the kitchen. Termites have eaten holes through the bathroom door and water comes in through the main kitchen door during heavy rain. When the couple moved in, Mrs. Martin said they had to paint over a large drawing of a male penis which decorated the wall.

Ventilation is also an issue as there is only one window in the apartment and one in the bathroom. An air conditioner has recently been installed, which they paid for, to make the apartment more bearable during the summer.

When the lights and water are shut off Mrs. Martin, a bar maid at the Southampton Rangers Club, said she must use the reserve tank, which is covered by a metal lid directly in front of the refrigerator, to dip down and get a bucket of water to flush the toilet. The water, once it comes out of the tank, is filled with roaches.

The couple is also concerned about the cleanliness of the water and the health of living in the apartment as they routinely find brown ooze and debris coming from the tap.

“If we could find somewhere else, we'd move out tomorrow,” said Mrs. Martin. “We just about have somewhere to sleep.”

“We've always been good about paying his money every Monday like clockwork, but when we asked to see things like the light bill or when we started asking him to fix things he told us to talk to the lawyer,” she said.

Initially, the couple moved to the studio temporarily to wait for Mr. Richardson to fix up a two bedroom apartment in the building that he had promised them. Unfortunately, more than a year later they doubt he will rent them the two bedroom apartment.

Mrs. Martin said the stress of living in such a cramped apartment has taken its toll on family life. They have not been on a vacation in two years, and she and her husband, who married three years ago, doubt they will ever be able to realise their dream of owning a home to raise their two daughters.

Mr. Martin, a self-employed auto-mechanic, said the family has to scrimp and save to get by and are left with very little for groceries, gas and bills. They won't be able to move in with their relatives as Mr. Martin's family is from Jamaica where he was born, and Mrs. Martin's mother lives in St. George's in her own apartment.

“We want a landlord who will be honest with us,” said Mr. Martin. “At this point we've considered leaving Bermuda. I wish that the Government would say when you call we're here to help you, but instead they end up giving the run around.”

The Martins also received an order to evict their apartment on June 30, but they have nowhere to go and have not heard from the landlord's lawyer since filing a complaint about his treatment.

The frustration and stress of the situation is becoming too much to bear, and Mrs. Martin said she is considering leaving her home, to relocate her family to Jamaica. While they know families with decent apartments at a cheaper price than theirs, the Martins believe landlords in Bermuda are taking advantage of ordinary people on middle income wages.

“Landlords are stealing from people who are trying to better themselves just because they want an extra dollar in their pocket,” said Mrs. Martin.

When The Royal Gazette contacted landlord Vincent Richardson about the situation, he said six to seven people were living in the apartment and contributed to the $1,600 rent. He said the rent included furnishings. Mr. Richardson said the Martins have not paid for an electricity bill since last August, and as the bill is in his name he can choose when to shut off the service.

Mr. Richardson said he was originally fixing up the apartment for another prospective tenant who was willing to pay $1,600 in rent, but he gave the apartment to Mr. Martin after he agreed to match the payment.

When asked why the rent was so high for such a small apartment and why he hadn't made repairs or cleaned up the apartment since the family moved in, Mr. Martin said they haven't been paying their rent. He would not provide The Royal Gazette with dates for when the Martins have and have not submitted their rent payments.

Rent Commissioner Eugene Foley said the Martin family had brought their concerns to his attention. He said the Commission was currently investigating the situation.

The Commission is responsible for controlling and regulating rent increases on rent controlled properties. Mr. Foley said the apartment was a rent controlled property valued at $7,800.

Properties with an annual rental value of $16,200 or less are rent controlled dwellings and any increases in rent by the landlord must first be approved by the department.

If any landlord increases a rent without the authorisation of the department and is found to be flouting the law the matter can be brought to the attention of the Director of Public Prosecutions. Mr. Foley said if it can be proven that the increase went ahead without an authorisation the landlord must cease with the amount of rent he is charging and pay back the difference to the tenants.

He would not verify the rent paid by previous tenants. “I can't verify the rent paid by the previous owners. There is an inquiry before us and at the moment we are currently investigating the allegations,” said Mr. Foley.