ALMOST 19,000 homes have been licensed for rent under an obligatory government scheme which was launched two years ago – 4,000 more units than initially thought.
Environment Minister Steve Luce said this week that it had originally been estimated that there were around 15,000 rented dwellings in Jersey, but the 18,759 licences had been issued so far, with more applications arriving each week.
Deputy Luce revealed that his regulation department had carried out 807 inspections since the scheme was introduced in May 2024, and it had received an additional 512 complaints about standards of rented accommodation.
The Environment Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel heard that, of the 807 inspections, 174 resulted in actions being taken to meet minimum standards, so 22% were non-compliant requiring further action.
The most common issue concerned the electrics of a property, and their failure to meet the required certification.
As yet, no licences have been refused but Deputy Luce said that the department is considering enforcement action in a number of cases.
“From my perspective, the scheme has settled down very well,” he said. “People have taken on board the code of practice and toolbox, and these are living documents that can be amended. We also work very closely with the Jersey Landlords’ Association.”
However, the minister offered an apology for not having an online portal ready in time for licences to be renewed from this May. This was because, he said, a wider government portal – on which the licensed dwelling technology had to “piggyback” on – had been delayed.
All licensed landlords will soon receive an email about renewal, he added. The process for dwellings that had no changes to them would be straightforward but landlords who need to amend their licence will have to contact the department, he said.
Since August 2024, it has been an offence for a landlord to rent without a licence. The law includes staff and farmworker accommodation but not lodging houses or tourist units.
