Protection ends for renters in hardship due to Covid-19

Protection ends for renters in hardship due to Covid-19

In April, temporary regulations were put in place to protect Islanders facing financial hardship from being evicted during lockdown.

However, those rules expired yesterday and updated guidance has been issued to enable landlords and tenants to manage rent arrears and the end of tenancies.

Due to the expiry of the measures, landlords again have the ability to terminate a tenancy for rent arrears.

Children’s and Housing Minister Sam Mézec said that the emergency tenancy legislation was introduced to protect tenants from financial hardship and to safeguard the Island’s health by reducing the number of people forced to move house.

‘The court has wide powers to rule on tenancy matters so it’s important that both landlords and tenants know and understand their rights and obligations for ending tenancies, and the correct way to seek an eviction,’ he said. ‘I would urge anyone who is in rental accommodation, or who is letting private property, to review the guidelines before taking any action, and to bear in mind that further support is always available from Citizen’s Advice and Environmental Health.’

The full set of guidelines is available on gov.je. Anyone who believes they are being evicted illegally can contact Environmental Health for assistance by emailing environmentalhealth@gov.je.

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