A DROP in registered demand for the Affordable Housing Gateway is set to be balanced out by changes to the eligibility criteria, according to the Housing Minister.
Deputy David Warr spoke after the most recent statistics showed that the number of applicants accepted onto the gateway – which is monitored by providers including Andium Homes – had decreased from 1,081 to 854 over a 12-month period.
However, the report accompanying the statistics said there was a ‘continuing need’ for one- and two-bedroom units, particularly for the elderly and younger, smaller families who were ‘struggling to source suitable, affordable accommodation in the private sector’.
Deputy Warr recently announced changes to the application criteria for the gateway that came into effect on 1 January.
Last year, the qualifying income limits ranged from £23,000 per year for a single applicant with no children, to £64,400 for a joint applicant with three children or more. However, these figures have now increased to £32,000 and £72,700 respectively.
‘We are going to be monitoring [the expected rise in applications] very closely over the next two-or-three weeks,’ Deputy Warr said.
‘I reviewed more than 100 applications that were refused, of which I felt around 70 would now be accepted, so I anticipate we will see [at least] 70 more across the board.’
Despite recent census figures indicating the amount of occupied homes in Jersey had increased by approximately 3,000 in the last decade, Deputy Warr maintained that increasing supply was still key to tackling rising house costs.
He pointed out that the number of persons per dwelling had steadily decreased from 2.79 in 1971, to 2.31 in 2011 and 2.27 as of the last Census.
‘The point being is that the number of homes required to house the same number has gone up – and that is a trend that has gone on for decades,’ the minister said.
