States Meeting Summary 10 September
States Assembly
10 September 2025
Public BusinessP.24 Draft Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Amendment Law 202-.
The Meeting began with the continuation of the debate into proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancy Law, as proposed by the Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mezéc.
Several amendments were proposed to the proposition. These are presented in the order in which they were voted on by the Assembly.
Second Amendment to the First Amendment
Deputy Moz Scott proposed an amendment to Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache’s Amendment (‘First Amendment’) to the Draft Residential Tenancy Law, by:
- establishing a rent tribunal;
- allowing for fixed-term leases of less than six months;
- requiring landlords to inform tenants of options open to them when seeking to evict or bring proceedings for non-payment of rent;
- and that the provision of rent information to be required by Regulations approved by the States Assembly rather than Ministerial Order.
Skip 23 minutes into this morning’s recording to hear the debate in full.
First Amendment to the First Amendment
The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure (EHI) Scrutiny Panel proposed to amend Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache’s Amendment (‘First Amendment’) to the Draft Residential Tenancy Law, to require that fixed-term tenancies under the 2011 Law may only be terminated, whether during the term or at its end, by written notice of at least one month from the tenant or three months from the landlord.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Panel’s amendment, with 28 votes for, 19 votes against and 0 abstentions.
Skip 1 hour 43 minutes into this morning’s recording to hear the debate in full.
First Amendment
Deputy Sir Philip Bailhache proposed an amendment to the proposition to remove provisions relating to:
- capping rent increases and the establishment of the Rent Tribunal;
- periodic tenancies, including reasons for ending period tenancies and initial terms, and orders for eviction;
- civil penalties.
Skip 2 hours and 10 minutes into this morning’s recording to hear the beginning of the debate and watch from the beginning of this afternoon’s recording for the conclusion.
Second Amendment
The Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mezéc, proposed an amendment to the proposition to clarify, amongst others, where further fixed-terms are allowed and in what circumstances; the appeals process; and the eligibility for Rental Tribunal membership.
The States Assembly voted to APPROVE Deputy Mezéc’s Amendment. The Assembly voted on the Amendment in parts:
- PART 1: Clarifying where further fixed-terms are allowed in certain circumstances. The Assembly APPROVED this part with 36 votes for, 5 votes against and 0 abstentions.
- PARTS 2, 3, 7, 11: Ending an initial term early. The Assembly APPROVED with 27 votes for, 17 votes against and 0 abstentions.
- PARTS 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10: Reasons for ending a tenancy, eligibility for Rent Tribunal membership, the appeals process. The Assembly APPROVED with 36 votes for, 8 votes against and 0 abstentions.
Fourth Amendment
The Environment Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel proposed several amendments to the proposition with the aim of strengthening the draft legislation.
The Panel presented the amendments in parts, starting with Amendment B3 which allows landlords to end a periodic tenancy without giving a reason, provided they give at least 12 months’ written notice.
- The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Panel’s amendment with 35 votes for, 6 votes against and 0 abstentions.
- The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Panel’s amendment with 37 votes for, 3 votes against and 0 abstentions.
Fifth Amendment
The Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mezéc, proposed an amendment to his own proposition to remove the need for a police or other enforcement officer to attend when a tenant is creating a ‘repeated or serious’ nuisance office.
The States Assembly voted to REJECT Deputy Mezéc’s Amendment with 14 votes for, 28 votes against and 0 abstentions.
Skip 2 hours and 25 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to hear the debate in full.
Fourth Amendment
The Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel proposed the rest of its amendments aimed at strengthening the draft legislation.
The Panel presented Amendment C1 which proposed removing the requirement for a Police Officer or States employee’s attendance for a landlord to serve notice for a ‘repeated or serious nuisance.’
- The States Assembly voted to APPROVE the Panel’s amendment with 43 votes for, 0 votes against and 0 abstentions.
Skip 2 hours and 38 minutes into this afternoon’s recording to hear the debate on Amendment C1 in full, and the beginning of the debate for Amendment D1.
Adjournment
The States Assembly then adjourned and will reconvene at 9:30am tomorrow, Thursday 11 September 2025, where they will continue to debate the proposed changes to the Residential Tenancy Law.
