- Package of proposals put forward to improve standards in the rental market
- Under the proposals, bad landlords could be named and shamed
- Environmental Health officials could be given the power to condemn rented properties
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ROGUE landlords could be named and shamed and Environmental Health officials could be given the power to condemn rented properties under a package of proposals to improve standards in the rental market.
As part of the proposed overhaul, officials could also carry out essential maintenance work at the owner’s expense, and new laws could be introduced that would make it compulsory for all rented accommodation to meet certain standards.
If approved, the draft Health and Safety (Rented Dwellings) Law, which will be brought before the States for debate in the autumn, would give the Health Minister the power to allow Environmental Health officers to:
- Issue enforcement notices ordering landlords to remedy potentially hazardous defects.
- Ban a property, or part of it, from being let if issues are not rectified.
- Carry out essential maintenance work on a property themselves at the expense of landlords.
- Investigate all of a landlords properties even if a complaint is only made against one particular accommodation, known as portfolio action.
- List poor-performing landlords on a publicly accessible name and shame list.
- Permanently exclude landlords included on the list from the private rental sector if they do not improve.
The draft law is just one part of a range of measures being proposed or introduced as part of a major shake-up aimed at providing a more ‘streamlined and modern rental sector’.
Initiatives such as a compulsory deposit protection scheme, which would involve an independent company handling payments in an effort to reduce disputes, and a voluntary landlord accreditation network are also due to be launched later this year.
The deposit scheme was approved by States Members in July last year.
Ministers are due to bring proposals to the States on how the accreditation scheme would work.
One approach being looked at is a ‘star-rating system’ similar to the Environment Department’s Eat Safe guide for restaurants.
Currently 47 per cent of households in the Island live in rented accommodation and Housing Minister Anne Pryke said it was vital to ensure the Island provided ‘affordable, good standard, and secure accommodation for tenants’.
‘The rental sector has been hugely improved in the last few years, with better security of tenure for all tenants.
‘However, there’s still work to do to strengthen areas where there is not enough legal protection and to eliminate duplication.
‘We want to create a more streamlined and modern rental sector,’ she added.
Meanwhile, proposals for another law that would set out a regulatory framework for social housing has also been lodged.
The draft Social Housing (Jersey) Law is due to be debated in the States after the summer recess.
The law would set the standards of service for tenants in States-rented properties, and aim to ensure good governance and financial management of social housing providers such as Andium Homes.
However, Deputy Pryke has ruled out introducing caps on what landlords can charge for rent in the private sector after she said there is evidence to show that controls can encourage property owners to spend less on maintaining homes in order to maintain profit margins.
Health Minister Andrew Green, who has also been involved in publishing the report, said improving the standard of housing in Jersey would make a significant contribution to improving Islanders’ overall health.
‘We want both landlords and tenants to know the standards a home should meet before it can be rented out, and to understand how it should be maintained,’ he added.
‘I’m confident that with a new law to establish minimum standards, plus additional measures being worked on by Environmental Health, we can ensure the rental sector makes a full contribution to meeting the Island’s housing needs, health needs and to achieving our wider social aims.’
