THE Housing Minister’s sweeping rental reform plans came under scrutiny at a heated public panel event on Wednesday 23 April – with warnings they could drive landlords out of the market, and calls from housing campaigners for them to go even further.
Described as the biggest overhaul in a decade, Deputy Sam Mézec’s proposed changes include rent increases at the rate of inflation (RPI), or 5% if inflation is higher, and stricter rules on contract types.
But while one panellist at All Island Media’s “Housing… Crisis averted?” discussion welcomed the move, others raised concerns about the potential “unintended consequences”.
Broadlands director Harry Trower said that while the agency doesn’t have a “massive rentals book”, the number of rental properties under its management had decreased, and “a lot of landlords [are] coming to us looking to sell”.
Michael Van Neste also voiced concern: “I understand that tenants should have decently maintained housing and that it should be affordable. But I’m worried that the sector will just wither away.”
“And whilst it is withering away, the standard of accommodation people rent will gradually go down with it… I’m hopeful that the States will modify this proposal or reject it altogether.”
Jersey Landlords Association chairman Guy Morris challenged Deputy Mézec directly, asking what assurances he could offer that the plans “will not lead to a reduction in those much needed homes due to landlords leaving the market, as happening currently in the UK”.
He also raised alarm about open-ended tenancy proposals and the proposed cap on rent increases.
Deputy Mézec responded that the reforms were “tried and tested” in other jurisdictions, and aimed to introduce “equity” into the rental market.
He dismissed suggestions of a mass landlord exodus as “scaremongering” – referencing similar fears at the launch of the landlord licensing scheme, which he claimed never materialised.
“A fact of the matter is that the renting experience in Jersey is rubbish compared to other places nearby to us,” he said.
“If we want to say to young people who are struggling enough to buy a home, ‘Forget that aspiration – it’s too expensive for you’ – then the least we can do is offer them security and fairness while they rent.”
Not everyone on the panel felt the reforms were too harsh.
Captain Alice Nunn, co-leader of the Jersey Salvation Army, said the proposals “do not go far enough” to protect tenants – particularly the most vulnerable.
She said more needed to be done to empower tenants to speak up when accommodation was unsafe or substandard, without fear of eviction.
Although the current landlord licensing scheme does require minimum safety standards and allows tenants to report issues to Environmental Health, Mrs Nunn said many were still “too afraid to come forward”.
If approved, the proposals would also limit the use of short-term fixed contracts, create a new Rent Tribunal to challenge unfair increases, and require landlords to give tenants longer notice periods.
The proposals are currently being reviewed by the Environment, Housing, and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel.
Islanders are being encouraged to share their views by emailing scrutiny@gov.je
