Jersey Homes Trust tenants have been told their rents will increase by 9% on 1 April. Reform Jersey is renewing its call for rent control.
The social housing provider manages more than 800 properties across 24 estates, including Le Coie, St Saviour's Place and at College Gardens.
The JHT has written to its tenants giving three weeks' notice of a 9% increase in rents.
Reform Jersey leader, Deputy Sam Mézec says he's spoken to some of the residents affected:
"They are really worried about this. A lot of them are facing rent increases of quite a substantial amount, well over £1,000 a year.
Lots of them are already on very low incomes and it's not going up."
The JHT says the rise is below inflation (currently 12.7%) and is necessary to cover rising costs.
Deputy Mézec has sent a letter to the Housing and Social Security ministers.
Our members are currently supporting Jersey Homes Trust tenants who are facing large rent increases with just 3 weeks notice. This has been handled in an unacceptable way and we urge the government to intervene.
— Reform Jersey (@ReformJersey) March 13, 2023
We must introduce rent control to help fix our broken rental market pic.twitter.com/DTOMqUSFZO
The letter renews the call for rent control to be introduced in Jersey.
The Reform Jersey party says that similar regulations exist around the world 'with varying levels of success'.
Deputy Mézec says that if the government won't bring forward a proposition then his party will.
"I think we have a current government that is simply out of touch on this subject and has their heads buried in the sand.
Many people in the government are well off and don't understand what life is like for people who are having to pay a large chunk of their income just to cover their housing needs.
They are blinded by a conservative ideology which says that the market will handle what the market handles, without realising that Jersey is in market failure."
Reform deputies will be attending a meeting at the Town Hall for Jersey Homes Trust tenants on Monday 20 March at 8pm.
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