The scale of so-called revenge evictions is set to be investigated by Jersey’s government.
Politicians are, next week, expected to approve new legislation which will make it law for landlords to ensure their properties are fit to live in.
But a Scrutiny panel has raised the question of whether the rules, which would give tenants the right to complain, could lead to them being evicted if they speak out.
In the UK, the charity Shelter estimated 300,000 people faced that threat in one year when they complained about the state of their homes.
Giving evidence to the panel, the Environment Minister and his Chief Officer said they could not discount the possibility that the introduction of the legislation could result in some instances of revenge evictions.
However, they also hoped the new law would discourage evictions because the landlord would have to make improvements to their property before they could rent it out again anyway.
On balance, the Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Scrutiny Panel says it supports the legislation, which was approved unanimously in principle in a States debate, and is due for final sign off next week.
If it does get the green light, the Minister says he aims to have it up and running before next May’s general election.
The panel said: “The panel is fully supportive of the Minister’s intention to bring the regulations to the States Assembly for approval before the elections in May 2018. We are currently in discussions with the Environment Department regarding the timetable for this work, and will keep abreast of developments following the debate on 12th December. The Panel will dedicate its time to reviewing the regulations next year, if the draft primary legislation is approved.”
