25 October 2017
The principle of introducing a law to improve the standard of Jersey’s rental accommodation is due to be debated next week (Tuesday 31 October).
There are currently very few powers available to the authorities to act if rented homes are sub-standard.
If P66/2017 is approved, the draft Public Health and Safety (rented dwellings) (Jersey) law will require landlords to meet minimum standards for their rental properties.
These will be minimum ‘Rent Safe’ standards. Rent Safe is an existing accreditation scheme which gives potential tenants information about a home they might rent. The law and Rent Safe will work in tandem.
The same standards will apply across all rented homes, including private sector, social housing and staff accommodation and are based on the Decent Homes Standard.
Andium Homes has already adopted the Decent Homes Standard and most of its properties meet that standard.
To meet Decent Homes Standard, homes must:
- meet certain minimum safety standards for housing
- be in a reasonable state of repair
- have reasonably modern facilities and services
- have efficient heating and effective insulation
Rent Safe is overseen by Environmental Health in the Department of the Environment, which also investigates complaints about the standard of rental accommodation.
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