New legislation is being proposed by Environment and Infrastructure aiming to ensure a minimum standard for housing, an official landlords register, and protection for renters.
E&I says its aiming to establish “comprehensive housing standards and regulations” in Guernsey, focusing on ensuring safe and healthy living conditions in rented properties.
It’s broken down into several different elements, including the proposed basic standard of housing health and safety, the register for landlords and rental properties, licensing for ‘Houses in Multiple Occupation’ (HMOs), and the creation of a new role to oversee all of the above.
Primarily the focus is on improving Health and Safety in residential accommodation, with dwellings having to be free from hazards and meeting basic minimum standards.
If the new legislation is approved by the States, rental properties will have to be assessed for safety, and overcrowding rules in Guernsey would be brought in line with existing legislation in England and Wales.
The new register for all landlords and rental properties, and shared properties would act as a record of all those who need a licence.
The new law would also allow the use of Management Orders, or potentially Disqualification orders, for anyone on that register who allows a property to fall below the minimum standards.
A Management Order would allow the States of Guernsey to take over the management of the property to protect tenants, while a Disqualification Order would give courts the power to ban a landlord from managing or renting properties for a specified time.
“Management Orders are consistent with the aim of having robust measures to enforce an improvement in standards and they align with the enforcement tools in the UK that the original policy letter outlined” – Housing Standards Legislation, 7.5.
Authorised officers would have the power to inspect properties and to issue improvement notices.
There will also be avenues for landlords and tenants to appeal any decisions made by these officers.
Overseeing all of this would be the new Director of Housing Standards, who’ll report directly to E&I.
They’ll be responsible for enforcing the housing standards across all sectors, including private rentals, social housing, and other residential properties.
This proposed position will also be able to offer guidance to landlords and tenants around housing standards.
E&I is taking this before the States in March, hoping to have it approved before the election in June.
The Committee says there was a public consultation carried out last summer which helped guide the development of the new laws.
The States have already promised other measures aimed at dealing with the housing crisis in Guernsey, amid suggestions that an additional 1,488 homes need to be built by 2028.
While these proposals would help those people renting accommodation which may be below the new minimum standards there are also proposals in place to help speed up the process of building those new houses which would relieve pressure on the rental market.
These measures include efforts to stop developers ‘land banking’.
The issues facing the island when it comes to the cost, availability and security of housing, have even led to the creation of a new Homelessness Charity, At Home In Guernsey, whilst another charity, Caritas, has had hundreds Sleep-Out in support of efforts to build a community response to homelessness, with hopes their proposed modular housing could provide respite for those sleeping rough in Guernsey.