The official version of this document can be found via the PDF button.
The below content has been automatically generated from the original PDF and some formatting may have been lost, therefore it should not be relied upon to extract citations or propose amendments.
19
1240/5(9248)
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HOUSING BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 23rd FEBRUARY 2016
Question
Following an exchange of emails on the subject between the Minister for Social Security and States members on the topic, will the Minister inform members why Andium Homes cannot publish clear figures for the rents it charges to new tenants by category?
Will the Minister also clearly set out what policy or policies are being followed for rental charges?
Answer
Andium Homes publishes clear information to tenants about its rental policy on its website: www.andiumhomes.je/yourhome/Pages/Paying-your-rent.aspx
This provides a summary of the minimum, average and maximum weekly rents Andium Homes charges tenants by the type of accommodation. Some of the rents will be for tenancies that commenced before 1st April 2014, which were set under the former States Rent Policy, and some will be for tenancies that commenced after the new States Rent Policy came into effect.
New tenants are given information about the actual rent for the property that they will be renting as part of the offer process before they sign the tenancy agreement.
The rent level for individual properties will be linked to factors such as the size, location and condition of the property and, moreover, rent levels will change as new tenancies are created and rents are reset. However, publishing the range of rents charged by Andium Homes provides new tenants with a better understanding about the rent they are likely to pay.
The rents charged by all social housing providers, including Andium Homes, conforms with the States Rent Policy, which was set by the States Assembly in May 2013 when it approved P.33/2013 The Reform of Social Housing'. Andium Homes calculates rents for new tenants at 90% of the rent that would be charged for an equivalent property in the private rented sector, with an inflation-linked increase applied annually to all tenancies, unless the increase would take the rent above the 90% market rent level.
For tenants who receive Income Support, the full cost of social housing rent can be met through the housing component and set according to the rent that is charged by the landlord, depending on the income of the household and providing that the household is occupying a property that is appropriate for the size of the household.