In a change to the existing housing laws, the J-category (essential) and A-to-H housing (locally qualified) groups are to be scrapped and replaced with a single qualified group. As a result, J-category Islanders will now be able to buy or rent all flats and houses, including new and flying freehold properties.
Until today, essential employees were excluded from buying or renting around 20 per cent of homes in Jersey. Until 14 months ago, J-category employees were able to buy only homes that were more than two years old or were worth more than £250,000. At that time, however, the law was amended to allow developers to sell 50 per cent of new houses to the essentially employed.
The changes will not affect the qualification period (currently ten years for J-categories and 11 years for others) and essentially employed Islanders will be able to own only the house they live in. The changes will not mean that J-cats are eligible to social rented housing or first-time buyer homes.
