In agreement and consultations with other international agencies, the OHR South would like to inform that as from today, the Double Occupancy Phoneline in Mostar will be suspended until further notice.
The reasons for this are the following:
To date, we have received more than 1,300 calls regarding alleged double occupancy cases. So far, some 300 of these have been investigated, of which 253 have been verified, and 40 resolved. There are more than 1,000 cases still requiring investigation. The number of cases resolved is extremely small, and progress on resolving cases remains painfully slow.
We are also extremely disappointed in the attitude of some of the Municipal Housing Offices in Mostar to the Phoneline – those in positions of authority have often avoided their own responsibilites, and used the Phoneline to divert all kinds of claimants to the International Community. As a result, the system for receiving double occupancy claims has become blocked with other calls.
We would like to see the backlog of double occupancy claims cleared first, before the line is considered to be re-opened. This will require a significant increase in effort on the part of the Municipal Housing Offices, who are still not being adequately supported by their respective Heads of Municipalities in terms of resources or political support.
As far as the Double Occupancy Commission is concerned, investigations of cases reported so far will continue at the current rate of 15 cases per week – however, it must be stressed that aside from this procedure, Municipal Housing Offices anyway have an obligation to process and resolve ALL claims for repossession of property within the legal deadlines. They DO NOT have to wait for the Double Occupancy Commission to investigate a claim in order to resolve it.
In the meantime, if you have a complaint regarding a double occupancy case, you should approach the responsible Municipal Housing Office. In addition, if you have already reported your case and would like an update, you should also approach the responsible Municipal Housing Office.