E&I invites islanders to have their say on housing standards

Tuesday 02 July 2024

The Committee for the Environment & Infrastructure is continuing its work to improve Guernsey's housing stock by inviting islanders to take part in a consultation on housing standards and how they are applied to rented accommodation.

This will be the first of three opportunities for islanders to have their say on how the private rental sector is regulated and is one of many pieces of work being carried out as part of the Guernsey Housing Plan which was published last year.

In 2021, the States approved enabling legislation which gave the States the power to introduce housing standards via ordinances. Since then, these ordinances have been drafted to cover:

• Minimum standards for rented dwellings
• Adopting the Housing, Health and Safety Rating System
• Overcrowding
• Registration of rented dwellings
• Licensing of houses in multiple occupation

However, as the Committee looks to finalise these draft ordinances, they are asking for input on a number of key matters.

As the survey is quite technical, there is a guidance document which should be read alongside the survey. To view the guidance document and complete the survey, please go to https://gov.gg/housingstandardssurvey. The survey will close on Tuesday 13^th August.

Deputy Lindsay de Sausmarez, President of the Committee for theEnvironment & Infrastructure, said:

"Government already has a number of workstreams underway to support the much-needed delivery of housing in our island, including our recently announced investigation into what is holding back development and what government can do to stimulate it. But as well as ensuring we have the necessary quantity and appropriate types of houses required, we need to also ensure people's homes are of sufficient quality to protect their health and wellbeing, which is what these standards will be designed to do.

"The States has already given approval for this work to go ahead, so now that we're looking at the details of housing standards, whether you're a landlord, a letting agent, a tenant, a homeowner or something else, we'd really value your input to make sure we get this right."

The responses to the survey will be considered by the Committee who will then make final changes to the draft legislation which will be submitted to the States for approval.

The next consultation in the Committee's work on the private rental sector will look at the rights and obligations of both landlords and tenants. It will include aspects such as the grounds for ending a tenancy, minimum notice periods, and the basic rights and responsibilities of each party. A separate consultation is then planned concerning the potential to introduce rent stabilisation measures, as prioritised in the Guernsey Housing Plan.

Feedback from the public, whether or not they may be landlords or tenants, will be integral in shaping those policies. Together with the introduction of a statutory rental deposit protection scheme, this package of workstreams should ultimately provide fair protections for landlords and tenants alike.

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