The Minister for Housing and Communities, Deputy David Warr, has launched the Government of Jersey’s Empty Homes Service to support bringing vacant homes across the Island back into use.
The new service – accessed online – will also help to develop a greater understanding of the reasons why some properties are being left empty for long periods of time.
Deputy Warr outlined in his Ministerial Plan that he wished to prioritise dealing with the issue, and make better use of Jersey’s existing housing stock. His Action on Vacant Properties plan, published in November, highlighted six key actions that are being taken.
The Empty Homes Service has two main functions. The first is to provide guidance to owners, where they might be unsure how to go about bringing an empty home back into use, or where they might be facing specific difficulties that the service can either help them overcome or can take into account when developing future policies.
The second main function is to work with the community to identify where long-term empty properties exist, why they might be empty, and what can be done to return them to use as quickly as possible. Islanders can log the location of homes using the online webform or by emailing or calling the service.
The Minister for Housing and Communities, Deputy David Warr, said: “Whether you know of a property sitting empty and would love to see something done about it, or you own an empty home but need pointing in the right direction, the Empty Homes Service will do what it can to help.
“I’m really pleased to get this off the ground today, with all six of my key actions on vacant properties now well under way. I’ll be publishing an update report in the summer to let people know how we are getting on, and this may include further actions should it become clear that is necessary to get even more homes back into use.
“Following the forms we issued with Parish Rates declarations earlier this year, and people getting in touch after I published my Action on Vacant Properties plan, we already have 40 cases under review, and that’s before the service had even launched. It’s clear to me how much people care about this issue – they’re sad to see homes lying empty and falling into disrepair, and owners know they’re sitting on a wasted resource and want to do something about it.
“Whilst the launch of the Empty Homes Service is an important step forward, it is only one of the things that need to be done to tackle Jersey’s housing crisis and there will be more on this over the coming weeks and months.”
Islanders looking for advice about vacant properties, or wishing to let the service know about an empty home they know about, can visit here, where they can also use the webforms to get in touch. The team can be contacted by email or by calling 01534 441614.
