Venezuelan Home Builders Protest Change in Terms
Hugo Chavez
The increasingly difficult climate for home builders and the inability of the Chavez government to deliver on promises to build enough apartments and houses have led to a housing deficit now estimated at 2 million units.
 Chavez has announced several plans to address the problem  and has often said housing should be controlled by the government. He recently announced a new kind of low-income housing to be financed by oil revenues. Still  last year  private industry built 45 600 units  twice as many as the government.
 Cabello  the Chavez minister who announced the decree requiring builders to refund buyers  said his office had received 1 700 complaints in recent weeks from home buyers about excessive mark-ups for inflation.
 So far this year  Chavez and his local allies have seized dozens of private properties  mostly farms and ranches that the government deems underutilized. He has also encouraged squatters to occupy land and residential buildings. The measures reflect Chavez's goal of building a socialist economy and to weaken private enterprise  but they have had a chilling effect on new construction  thus exacerbating the housing shortage  critics say.
 One new wrinkle was added this week when Chavez allies in the Vargas state government authorized the takeover of two golf courses in a Caracas suburb called Caraballada. Local officials say the courses will be converted into housing and parkland.
 "Venezuela has always had a housing deficit  but it's gotten worse in the last 10 years  since Chavez took office " Puente said. "With the oil price boom  he has had the resources to improve things  but relatively little has been accomplished."
 If the government decree sticks  Briceno is unsure how he will manage the refunds and whether he will be able to keep his 300 workers on the payroll.
 "If this becomes law " he said  "the collateral effects will be loss of jobs and economic paralysis."
The increasingly difficult climate for home builders and the inability of the [TGT] government to deliver on promises to build enough apartments and houses have led to a housing deficit now estimated at 2 million units.
 [TGT] has announced several plans to address the problem  and has often said housing should be controlled by the government. [TGT] recently announced a new kind of low-income housing to be financed by oil revenues. Still  last year  private industry built 45 600 units  twice as many as the government.
 Cabello  the Chavez minister who announced the decree requiring builders to refund buyers  said his office had received 1 700 complaints in recent weeks from home buyers about excessive mark-ups for inflation.
 So far this year  [TGT] and [TGT] local allies have seized dozens of private properties  mostly farms and ranches that the government deems underutilized. [TGT] has also encouraged squatters to occupy land and residential buildings. The measures reflect [TGT]'s goal of building a socialist economy and to weaken private enterprise  but they have had a chilling effect on new construction  thus exacerbating the housing shortage  critics say.
 One new wrinkle was added this week when [TGT] allies in the Vargas state government authorized the takeover of two golf courses in a Caracas suburb called Caraballada. Local officials say the courses will be converted into housing and parkland.
 "Venezuela has always had a housing deficit  but it's gotten worse in the last 10 years  since [TGT] took office " Puente said. "With the oil price boom  [TGT] has had the resources to improve things  but relatively little has been accomplished."
 If the government decree sticks  Briceno is unsure how he will manage the refunds and whether he will be able to keep his 300 workers on the payroll.
 "If this becomes law " he said  "the collateral effects will be loss of jobs and economic paralysis."