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STATES OF JERSEY
GUIDANCE FOR STATES MEMBERS ON IN-COMMITTEE DEBATE ON IMPROVING RESIDENTIAL TENANCIES IN JERSEY
Presented to the States on 24th April 2023 by the Minister for Housing and Communities
STATES GREFFE
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REPORT
Overview
This guidance has been prepared to assist States Members by proposing structure for the debate on the proposals brought forward by the Minister for Housing and Communities in his paper entitled Improving Residential Tenancies in Jersey - Residential Tenancy Law Reform proposals', published on 14 April 2023.
The paper sets the direction of travel for much-needed modernisation of residential tenancy legislation, which will look to make enhancements to residential tenancies and broaden the scope of existing legislation to include matters such as rent stabilisation, social housing provision and the introduction of a new Housing Tribunal.
Legislation
The Minister for Housing and Communities has set out his proposals in the context of introducing a new Law in 2024 to replace the existing Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Law 2011.
Consultation The Minister for Housing and Communities has launched an 8-week public consultation to seek the views of Islanders on his proposals for a new Residential Tenancy Law, which will conclude on 9 June 2023.
In addition to the public consultation and the In-Committee debate, the Minister's programme of consultation includes: a States Members briefing (24 April); a briefing to of the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure (EHI) Scrutiny Panel (25 April); plans for additional focused engagement with key stakeholders and representative groups (e.g., social housing providers); and plans for in-person engagement with tenants/Islanders.
Given the scale of work that is required to introduce the changes proposed, it is essential that everyone has the chance to have their voices heard. This is intended to help shape policy and legislation which can meet the needs of tenants and landlords in Jersey, whilst helping to ensure that the resulting draft law is supported and implemented without delay.
Figure 1- Modernisation of tenants and landlords rights - policy and law drafting programme, Improving Residential Tenancies in Jersey
The Debate
It is anticipated that the debate that will take place during the States sitting commencing 2 May 2023 and will have a maximum of four hours allocated to it.
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To help States Members structure their contributions and ensure there is an opportunity to cover key residential tenancy issues addressed in the Minister's paper, it is proposed that the time available is allocated equally to the following areas:
- Tenancy types, notice periods and termination (1hr)
- Rents and charges (1hr)
- Minimum expectations for provision of social housing (1hr)
- Powers of investigation, offences and penalties, and creation of a Housing Tribunal (1hr)
States Members are of course free to make contributions on the issue(s) of their choice at any point during the debate.
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