Minister seeks one-year cut in Housing quallies

Friday 20th March 2009, 2:58PM GMT.

HOUSING Minister Terry Le Main plans to reduce Housing qualifications by a year.

Senator Le Main will lodge a proposition next week to reduce the period of residency required for qualifications from 12 years to 11.

If the States agree to the proposal, then the plans could come into force by the summer.

But the move could spark controversy after fears were raised that lowering the Housing qualification would fuel Jersey’s buoyant housing market.

1
Julie

March 20, 2009 at 5:21 pm

There seems to be a distinct lack of affordable one bedroom flats for qualified people to rent at the moment and I can only see this situation getting worse, as a lot of people simply can’t afford to buy a property in Jersey!

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2
DA-DO RON

March 20, 2009 at 5:42 pm

Please let me in !!!

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3
annie du feu

March 20, 2009 at 6:36 pm

NO NO NO, The housing problem is immense, youngsters are flocking from the island as they can’t afford decent accommodation. An increase to 15 years may help this problem but a reduction will only cause more problems.

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4
pat

March 20, 2009 at 7:47 pm

This i assume is to drive up the price and demand for houses but will not help young couples get on the housing ladder.

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5
Ed

March 21, 2009 at 2:07 am

Would this have anything to do with keeping housing prices artificially high or keeping the rich developers sweet or both.??

This man should have left the states years ago, he continues to be an embarassment to the island with his, “I can do what I like” attitude.

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6
Julie

March 21, 2009 at 12:02 pm

I’ve now spoken to Senator Le Main about this issue and he has noted the situation about the lack of affordable one bedroom flats to rent and he agreed that they are now mostly over £800 per month!

I also told him that I may have to consider leaving Jersey soon and returning to the UK, even though I have lived here for over 20 years and will be very sad to leave the Island!

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7
DF

March 21, 2009 at 4:41 pm

Annie du feu
The drop in the qualies will help those people living in decayed unqualified flats (tiny tiny rooms) that sometimes don’t even have the conditions to house people, were a bathroom is shared between 6 or more people.
They will be able to look for a decent roof over their heads.

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8
P Lee

March 22, 2009 at 8:21 am

I am fed up with people coming to Jersey and whining about the accommodation – if you do not like it go somewhere else – I am sure that prices to rent property in somewhere like London is far higher and the standard of property no better.

All this reduction means is more people in tax payer paid for states rental and more hand outs via the obscene rent rebate scheme – some £30 million per year of tax payers’ money

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9
DA-DO RON

March 22, 2009 at 9:00 am

How much is a one bedroom flat

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10
NannieP

March 22, 2009 at 10:23 am

No,this is only going to cause further problems.
My”qualified” son is paying £1000 + per month rent on a substandard flat for his young family and working 7 days a week to pay for it. He has no way of saving for his own home paying this kind of rent and there are numerous other young families in the same situation,just struggling to get by on this inflated island. Jersey must do away with its two tiered housing system and the rents/house prices must be affordable and realitic.
TLM has no idea and should have been replaced years ago as Housing Minister.

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11
Jersey nurse

March 22, 2009 at 8:03 pm

This doesn’t make any sense if someone has already been here for 11 years I hardly think they are going to leave anytime soon, so 12 months makes no difference. It also does not mean that your average J cat can muster up £40,000 plus for a deposit and fees on buying a shoe box. I love the island and am an essential J cat but have no plans to buy in an over inflated market.

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12
AP

March 25, 2009 at 10:52 am

The first thing that most of the people that currently live in unqualified accomodation do on receiving their quallies is go straight to the housing department and ask for a states property which already has huge waiting lists. I’m local to the island and have never recieved any help from the states. Maybe i should give up work, get my girlfriend pregnant, get given states accomodation and have an easy life!

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13
R

March 29, 2009 at 5:33 pm

I understand the sentiments of the people above however I feel we a are missing the problem.
The housing qualification period of 10 years or 12 years does not solve the underlying issue which is immigration. You have to allow the same rights to those who live on the island but you can have strict rules on those who are allowed residency – like OZ. If you are self sufficient or add to the Island then you maybe allowed in if not no.
The problem is this is a 30 year old issue. As an employer I’ve provided jobs for locals and contributed large sums in tax and social payments but I am still a year from qualification. Stricter rules on entering the Island would solve legal issues and reduce the burden on the state from people not contributing to the Island.

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14
Jacqui Doherty

April 1, 2009 at 11:53 pm

as an ex resident of jersey i have to say that i worked and lived in jersey for eight years. i married my husband and gave birth to my two boys in jersey. my husband and i both worked full time in qualified employment but were forced to leave the island with our two children due to lack of accommodation and qualifications to live there. My children are now settled and in further education which i believe would have enabled them to be an addition to the future of Jersey. i believe that when they learn their heritage and the history of being forced to leave their birth place Jersey will have a lot of questions to answer to them. we would have never have left jersey and returned to the mainland but for the lack of living quarters for non qualified people like ourselves. we would have made jersey our home but for that.

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15
A.B

April 8, 2009 at 4:56 pm

I think the State need to think about the qualifications. Maybe they could relax the rules on J cat – for renting purpose. Some people would like to have wider choice when it comes to renting. They are lots of houses J cat appearing on the newspaper seeking for tenants.
Buying in Jersey is out of question! It is like throwing your money to buy a shoe box! It is sad to note that people leave the island simply because of qualies. How sad!

On the other hand, Jersey is not a safe place anymore. Many people I know have left the island to go elsewhere, of course for better quality of life and they need to feel safe too. Well, if these things are not looked into. The island will be left with their qualies and vacated houses!

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