Residents occupying the condemned Public Rental Board (PRB) housing along Mead Road in Nabua, Suva, have been officially declared squatters after failing to leave blocks certified as structurally unsafe, PRB director Timoci Naleba said in a statement this week. The board issued an official notice in September last year and later extended the deadline to February, but only one of the seven blocks has been fully vacated since then, Mr Naleba said.
Six of the seven blocks — ageing structures that are more than 50 years old — were certified as structurally unsafe and tenants were originally given until December 2025 to vacate, the Ministry for Housing and Local Government has previously said. The estate initially housed 144 tenants; a majority remain on-site despite the notices and the certification. PRB figures indicate roughly 30 tenants have moved out to date, leaving most households still living in the condemned buildings.
“We did not extend the timeline for those residents staying at PRB along Mead Rd. So right now, the residents are actually squatting,” Mr Naleba said, confirming the formal change in the residents’ legal status. He added that the board is engaging with organisations to assist the remaining residents but would not disclose details of those arrangements at this stage.
Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa said the main impediment to clearing the site is financial hardship among tenants. “The challenge for us is relocating the tenants,” Mr Nalumisa said, noting some tenants have expressed a willingness to return to their villages but lack the funds to do so. To address that shortfall, the PRB is seeking about $200,000 to help relocate tenants who cannot afford to move, the minister said.
The PRB has carried out socio-economic assessments to determine household financial capacity and to identify alternative housing options for those who must be moved. Officials say they are also looking for vacant flats to accommodate some tenants, but the board must secure funding and suitable placements before demolition can begin. “Those who are still remaining need to be relocated and vacate those flats before the PRB can go in and demolish those buildings because all the buildings have been certified to be structurally unsafe now,” Mr Nalumisa said.
Mr Naleba reiterated the board’s policy of maintaining PRB estates as drug-free zones amid concerns over incidents reported from the area. “It’s a drug-free zone and we don’t condone the use or carrying or trading of drugs in our estates,” he said, warning that residents found with drugs would face removal or eviction.
This latest development deepens an already urgent housing test for the ministry and PRB as the deadline-driven timetable collides with limited financial resources and a shortage of immediate alternatives for tenants. Officials say further announcements on assistance packages and relocation plans are expected in the coming weeks; until then, the condemned blocks remain occupied and earmarked for demolition once tenants can be moved.