Hundreds of islanders have engaged with a review into proposed changes to the island’s Residential Tenancy Law.
The Environment, Housing, and Infrastructure Panel has been considering responses to its call for feedback on the proposals by Housing Minister Sam Mézec.
Launched in April, the stated aim of the review was to allow landlords, tenants and organisations to provide their views on the proposals and whether they offered better protection for tenants, or might lead to unintended consequences.
Panel Chair Deputy Hilary Jeune said as well as more than 50 submissions from members of the public and organisations involved in the sector, there had been over 200 submissions to a tenants’ survey.
“We’ve been encouraged by the level of engagement from islanders and organisations who took time to submit evidence to this review,” she said.
“The volume and quality of the submissions show just how important the issue of tenancy reform is for Jersey.
“As a Panel, we are committed to thoroughly reviewing all the evidence to ensure that any legislative changes strike the right balance – protecting tenants while recognising the realities for landlords.
“Our focus is to ensure that any reforms are fair, effective, and genuinely improve the rental experience in Jersey.”
The Jersey Landlords Association was among the organisations to submit feedback, stating that it believed the measures would result in the balance being “tipped too far in favour of tenants”.
The panel will hold a final hearing on Monday 9 June with Deputy Mézec, whose proposition is set to be debated by States Members in July.