03/05/2026
CAYMAN BUILDING CODE
" I honestly don’t understand what the Cayman Islands Government is doing—approving townhouse developments without attic spaces. Said. Ms
Lovell Marriott. They turn the attic into bedroom then sell them for over $500,000. Have you all learned nothing from Hurricane Ivan?”
Where is the Planning Department? Some of these apartments have less square footage than what’s considered affordable housing. The master bedrooms can’t even fit a king-size bed, and the living areas don’t accommodate a dining table. There’s no front or back porch. Some with one or more staircase higher than mount everest. You can’t raise children in these so-called modern structures in the Cayman Islands.”
Ms. Lovell Marriott told Cayman Breaking News that many of these developers seem more focused on amenities than on providing comfortable spaces where families can truly live and grow.
Structures are going up on every corner of the Cayman Islands, with trees being removed that once helped provide fresh air. Homes without a porch should not be the standard. Living areas are so small you can’t even enjoy a simple family game night together.
Where are the forward thinkers? How many apartments are you going to place on a single lot without leaving breathing space between them?
When I look at the future of the Cayman Islands, it genuinely concerns me. It feels like the people making these decisions are not seeing the bigger picture.
Things have gotten out of hand in the real estate industry. Developers should not include attics as part of the square footage of a house, and neither should valuation companies or real estate agents.
Properties across the Cayman Islands are now being priced based on their “potential” rather than their true market value. For example, if an agent sees space where an extra room could possibly be added in the future, they use that possibility to justify dramatically increasing the property’s value — sometimes even claiming the value could double if those changes were made.
This kind of speculative pricing is driving housing costs beyond what many people can realistically afford. As a result, it is becoming increasingly impossible for young Caymanians to own a home.
Meanwhile, the Government does not appear to be paying enough attention to this growing issue. Without stronger oversight and fairer housing policies, homeownership will continue slipping further out of reach for the next generation of Caymanians.
There is a square-footage cost to build a house in Cayman. As Ms. Marriott told Cayman Breaking News, there should also be a reasonable square-footage standard when selling a home.
The selling price of a house should never be more than three times the overall cost to construct it, especially when considering young Caymanians and their families who are trying to achieve homeownership. No its not business, it's caled l blind sight to the future.
CAYMAN BREAKING NEWS
Lovell Marriott
Journalist
