A new bill before Parliament will hand ownership of 224 state-built houses to long-term tenants, pushing the total transferred in three months to 428 and accelerating a programme designed to convert decades of renting into outright ownership.

The State Acquisition and Vesting of Property Number 2 Bill, passed in the House of Assembly on Tuesday, represents the second phase of a national housing programme aimed at converting long-term tenancy into permanent ownership for hundreds of families across the country.

The homes are located in Eden Lodge, Haynesville, Silver Hill, Deacons Farm, Bonnetts, Grazettes and Wotton. For areas such as Eden Lodge, residents will receive titles for the first time under this initiative, Gibbs said.