Rent Tribunal: appointment of Chair, Deputy Chair and Member positions

STATES OF JERSEY

RENT TRIBUNAL: APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR, DEPUTY CHAIR AND MEMBER POSITIONS

Lodged au Greffe on 18th February 2026 by the Minister for Housing

Earliest date for debate: 24th March 2026

STATES GREFFE

2026  P.50

PROPOSITION

THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion

(a) to appoint, in pursuance of the relevant provisions of Part 4A of the Residential  Tenancy  (Jersey)  Law 2011,  as  amended  by  the  Residential  Tenancy (Jersey) Amendment Law 20251 ("Residential Tenancy Law 2011, as amended"), the following persons to act in the roles of either Chair, Deputy Chair or Members of the Rent Tribunal for a term of up to three years –

Chair:

Rose Colley

Deputy Chairs:

Jonathon Barham Tim Hart

Members:

Samantha Ainsworth Matthew Beddoe Luciano Brambilla Joseph Carney Stephanie Constantine Sarah Gaudion Samuel Putka

Sabrina Stewart

MINISTER FOR HOUSING

1 The Law has been adopted ("made") but it is not yet in force. It is anticipated that the Law will commence in early Q2 2026. In accordance with Article 4 of Legislation (Jersey) Law 2021, the power conferred in the legislation to make an appointment may be exercised at any time after the making of the legislation, whether or not the legislation is in force. Therefore, States Members may appoint members of the Rent Tribunal under Article 13B(1) of the Residential Tenancy Law 2011, as amended before the legislation is in force.

REPORT

Purpose of this Proposition

This Proposition seeks approval for the appointment of the Chair, Deputy Chair and Member positions  of the  Rent Tribunal, as established  under Article  13A of the Residential  Tenancy  Law  2011,  as  amended.  These  appointments  will  allow  the Tribunal to be constituted and ready to perform its statutory role in determining applications relating to rent increases under the amended Law, when it comes into force.

Under Article 13C(1), members may be appointed or reappointed for any period up to 3 years, provided their total service does not exceed 9 years.

New appointments must be made by the States Assembly on recommendation of the Minister, in accordance with Article 13B(1).

If the States Assembly agree to this Proposition, the appointments will take effect once the Residential Tenancy Law 2011, as amended, is commenced and the appointees have taken the relevant oath or affirmation before the Royal Court, as provided for in Article 13D.

Role of the Rent Tribunal

The Tribunal will operate independently, as part of the Judicial Greffier's Tribunal Service. It will have exclusive jurisdiction to determine whether proposed rent increases comply with the Law, to consider exceptions, and to issue binding decisions subject only to appeal to the Royal Court on a point of law.

The scope of the Rent Tribunal's activities is narrow. The Tribunal's duty will be to respond to applications made by tenants under Article 7E of the Law, to adjudicate the lawfulness of a rent increase. This includes determining whether or not:

• The rent has been increased once in the last year.

• The rent has been increased with at least 2 months' written notice.

• The rent has been increased by more than the statutory limit (RPI) because an exception applies.

• A  social  housing  provider  or  landlord-employer  is  exempt  from  the  rent stabilisation provisions, and the limits on how soon a rent can be increased and how much it can be increased by do not apply on this basis.

The scope of the Rent Tribunal's decision-making powers is narrow. When determining an application concerning a proposed rent increase, the Tribunal may:

• Determine that the rent increase complies with the Law, in which case the increase takes effect from the date on which it is, or was, due to start; or

• Determine that the rent increase does not comply with the Law, in which case the Tribunal may:

• Decide that the proposed increase has no effect.
• Specify an alternative amount that complies with the Law, provided that this amount is  not greater than  the increase proposed  by the landlord; and

• Specify an alternative effective date for the increase to ensure that the tenant has received the period of notice required under the Law.

Once the Tribunal decides, its decision must be given effect by the tenant paying any extra amount that is owed, or the landlord repaying any amount that was overpaid. Parties may apply to the Petty Debts Court to recover any unpaid amount as a civil debt.

Tribunal recruitment and qualification requirements

In accordance with the requirements of the Residential Tenancy Law 2011, as amended, the Minister for Housing has undertaken a recruitment process that was overseen by the Jersey Appointments Commission (JAC) and is satisfied that the proposed Chair, Deputy Chairs and Panel members meet the qualification requirements under Article 13B(4) of the Law.

The proposed appointments have been made on the basis of the recommendations provided by the JAC commissioner and the recruitment panel officers.

A total of 27 applications for appointment were made, covering the roles of Chair, Deputy Chair and Member. Some applicants requested consideration for all three roles. One applicant withdrew before shortlisting.

A  total  of  15  applicants  were  shortlisted  for interviews.  The  shortlisting  process involved appraisals of qualifications and experience, motivation, and an assessment of any  actual,  potential,  or  perceived  conflicts  of  interest  that  might  impact  the appropriateness of appointment.

In arriving at the proposed Rent Tribunal composition, careful regard has been given to the nature of qualifications and experience, backgrounds and perspectives, to ensure that it is balanced and capable of making just decisions in accordance with the Law.

Appointments will be made subject to each nominee meeting the statutory eligibility requirements under the Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Law 201, as amended, at the point of appointment.

Details of proposed Members

The Minister accordingly is pleased to nominate the people named below for a three- year term beginning on commencement of the Residential Tenancy Law 2011, as amended:

Rose Colley – Chair

Rose qualified as an English Solicitor in 1988 and was admitted as a Jersey Advocate in 2000. She recently retired following 25 years as an Advocate at Vibert s from 2020 to 2025. Rose was President of the Jersey Law Society from 2020 to 2024. She served in several prominent public roles, including Chair of the Jersey Consumer Council. During her academic career, she tutored for the  Institute  of Housing Management. As  a Councillor for the London Borough of Southwark, she served as member of its Housing Committee and was a Board trustee for two London Housing Associations. Rose is a tenant.

Jonathon Barham – Deputy Chair

Jonathon was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2002, admitted as an English Solicitor in 2006, and admitted as a Jersey Advocate in 2023. He is a Partner at Collas Crill in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Team. Jonathon has extensive advocacy and decision-making experience, having regularly acted in cases involving residential tenancies  including  arguments  about  unpaid  rent,  return  of  deposits  and  housing disrepair. He sits as a Deputy Chair of the Commissioners of Appeal for Tax, hearing applications by Revenue Jersey and appeals lodged by taxpayers. Jonathon is a tenant and a UK landlord.

Tim Hart – Deputy Chair

Tim was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1995 and admitted as a Jersey Solicitor in 1996 (non-practising). Tim is a consultant for Jersey Finance, having previously been a property law Partner at leading offshore law firm Appleby from 2000 to 2020, with a professional practice encompassing commercial and residential property (including leases and tenancies), secured lending, insolvency, commercial transactions, regulatory advice and wills and probate. He is an adjunct Lecturer of immovable property at the Institute of Law, Jersey. Tim is a homeowner and a Jersey landlord.

Samantha Ainsworth – Member

Samantha is a qualified English Solicitor with over 20 years of legal expertise both in- house and in private practice, with extensive experience in contracts and litigation and in regulated sectors. She has over 17 years' experience as a private landlord in the UK, and experience as a tenant, including in Jersey after relocating in 2024. Samantha is a homeowner and a UK landlord.

Matthew Beddoe – Member

Matthew sits as a lay member of the Jersey Youth Court. He is also a money laundering reporting officer, Director, and Compliance officer for Annexio Jersey Ltd., with over 35 years' experience  in compliance and  over 20 years  at Director level. He  has experience as both a landlord and tenant. Matthew is a homeowner and a Jersey landlord.

Luciano Brambilla – Member

Luciano is retired, with 16 years' experience as a property manager of 16 rental properties under LFB Property Management. He was a Board Director, Registered Compliance Officer and professional advisor across regulated financial services. He was a Committee Member of the Jersey Compliance Officers Association (JCOA), having held the role of Chair from 2019 to 2020. He holds a Graduate Diploma in Law. Luciano is a homeowner, Jersey landlord and member of the Jersey Landlords Association (JLA) at the time of recommendation.

Joseph Carney – Member

Joseph is a Chartered Building Engineer. He is semi-retired with nearly 50 years' experience as an Independent Surveyor and Property Consultant, with experience acting as expert witness in Jersey Courts. Joseph has experience as a civil servant in building, development and planning in Jersey and the London Boroughs of Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham. Joseph is a tenant.

Stephanie Constantine – Member

Stephanie is the Managing Director of Camfra Ltd, with over 40 years' experience managing a portfolio of properties. She has experience as a civil servant in the then

Housing Law Department of the States of Jersey. Stephanie is a homeowner, Jersey landlord and a member of the JLA at the time of recommendation.

Sarah Gaudion – Member

Sarah  is  the  Chief  Financial  Officer  at  Livingroom  Group  estate  agency,  having oversight  of  governance,  compliance,  risk  and  decision-making  in  a  regulated environment. She has 20 years' experience as a Chartered Accountant. Sarah is a homeowner.

Samuel Putka – Member

Samuel is the Managing Director at Troy s Estate Agency Ltd, with over 10 years' experience in lettings, property management, and valuations. Samuel has worked at the level of senior director for the past 5 years, holding responsibility for strategic decision- making, compliance oversight, and management of complex property matters. He is an associate member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Samuel is a homeowner.

Sabrina Stewart – Member

Sabrina is a Non-Executive Director and Chair of a UK-based social housing provider. She has over 20 years' experience in senior governance, risk, and regulatory roles, including in compliance and money laundering regulation. Sabrina sits as a Member of the Employment and Discrimination Tribunal. Sabrina is a homeowner.

Financial and staffing implications

Funding for member remuneration and administrative support has been provided for within the existing Judicial Greffe budget as allocated under the Budget 2026 – 2029 (Government Plan). There are not additional financial or staffing implications for Government as a result of this proposition.

Children's Rights Impact Assessment

A Children's Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) has not been prepared in relation to this Proposition, as a CRIA is not required, in accordance with Schedule 2 to the Children (Convention Rights) (Jersey) Law 2022 (paragraph (j)).