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Revenge evictions

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2024.02.27.

13.1   Deputy D.J. Warr of St. Helier South of the Minister for Housing and Communities regarding open ended tenancies (OQ.30/2024)

Further to his commitment to bringing in new protections for tenants in residential legislation, including open-ended tenancies as the default, will the Minister provide statistical evidence that confirms that revenge evictions are a systemic problem on the Island?

Deputy S.Y. Mézec (The Minister for Housing and Communities):

No, Sir. Statistics on revenge evictions are not and cannot be collected for all of the same reasons that my predecessor explained or had explained for him during the Residential Tenancy Law consultation. By the nature of what a revenge eviction is, it is axiomatic that statistical data could not be put together. However, we can put plenty of anecdotal evidence together. Exhibit A, my email inbox, we also have testimonies from Citizens Advice and the Environment Health Department. The mere existence of Article 6 of the Residential Tenancy Law shows that revenge evictions are possible without any requirement for them to be registered anywhere. My predecessor cited several of these when he published the Residential Tenancy Law consultation with a proposal that action be taken as part of that process to protect tenants from revenge evictions. I maintain the commitment of my predecessor in that regard.

13.1.1   Deputy D.J. Warr :

In the findings document that reflects the feedback from the 2023 consultation on the new Residential Tenancy Law proposals it states that the draft law will be published for further consultation ahead of being debated by the States Assembly in 2024. Is that the intention of the current Minister for Housing and Communities and, if not, why not?

Deputy S.Y. Mézec : Yes.