Prospect area residents are banding together with candidates from the United Bermuda Party to fight for fair treatment from the management of the Bermuda Housing Corporation (BHC).

Area residents of Cedar Park, Mary Victoria and Alexandra Roads claim the BHC is failing to act over the poor conditions of two units it manages.

“It's been a very, very long time since we've been dealing with these conditions. All of us in the community had to pay for renovations ourselves but they just had to be done and no one wanted to help us,” area resident Troy Trott said.

Approximately 150 residents occupy the two units and 103 of them have complained about the conditions by signing a petition which they plan to send to BHC.

The petition cites streets in need of repair, incomplete maintenance, street lights that are not in working order, flooding in units and collapsing embankments as some of the problems facing the community.

Demands for changes to the poor conditions, as well as provision of better trash bins, rules and enforcement for noise violations and dog ownership plus compensation for the out-of-pocket spending on maintenance the residents have dealt with for the last two years will also be attached to the signatures.

UPB candidates Hilary Soares and Michael Dunkley have taken up the residents' cause, claiming there was “a real human cost” to the issue.

And they have “vowed to ensure the residents are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve”.

“This is the first time anyone has come along and wanted to help us,” Mr. Trott said, referring to the two candidates.

“We're not concerned about who it is, we just want our houses to be done.”

And residents are now refusing to uphold the transfer of ownership status from leasehold to freehold, which would make the occupants virtually owners of the property.

“The transfer of these units to them [the residents should be an occasion for celebration and for pride, and not one for despair and frustration,” said Ms Soares.

“As a community we all just want to live in decent conditions like any other hardworking Bermudian,” Mr. Trott said.