Jersey landlords battle new plan for ‘harmful’ licensing scheme

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Jersey’s landlords are battling to convince the island’s lawmakers that new plans for a widespread licensing scheme will do more harm than good.

After helping to throw out previous proposals, the Jersey Landlords Association believes that instead, a registration scheme, along with a programme of tenant empowerment and ad hoc environmental health inspections, would be equally able to tackle poor-quality housing.

It says such a scheme would also have the benefit of providing more data about the type, size and quality of rented housing in Jersey. This could even be extended to all housing, giving the government the data it needs to make targeted policies.

“All responsible landlords are already or are working towards offering rented dwellings at or above the minimum standards,” says a group spokesman.

“Previous scrutiny panels and the previous States Assembly have agreed with many of our objections to licensing instead of registration.”

Previous attempts

However, States Deputy Richard Renouf (pictured) is confident that he has addressed the reasons why previous attempts to introduce licensing have failed.

He says: “I have three options before me: do nothing, introduce a rental property registration scheme, or introduce licensing. The advantage of the latter is that it allows me to remove a licence without the need to prosecute.

“It is a sensitive tool to deal with potential breaches of safety, while prosecution through the courts is, in this case, more of a blunt tool.”

Renouf adds that licensing also allows landlords to continue to rent out properties while they make the necessary improvements. Suggested fees for the new scheme would only be about £30 a year.

The most recent attempt to introduce licensing was defeated by a single vote in the States Assembly in July 2021.

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