Housing in Jersey: Building on Progress 

Minister for Housing, Deputy Sam Mezec, December 2025 

As 2025 draws to a close and we approach the end of my second year in office as Minister for Housing, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on some key achievements and what I intend to deliver for Islanders before the end of this Government term.  

My three key priorities have been to:  

  1. Support more Islanders into home ownership  
  1. Improve the experience of renters  
  1. Address the plight of homelessness 

Housing touches every part of our community. When I took office, I committed to making housing fairer, more secure, and more accessible for Islanders. On my first day in office, I established a Housing Crisis Emergency Taskforce to tackle these issues. We’ve made tangible progress across each of these three pillars, but there is still much more to do. 

  1. Supporting Islanders into home ownership 

Housing costs have long been a key barrier to home ownership in Jersey. My guiding principle has been simple: owning a home should never be out of reach for working families. 

In 2024, we launched the First Step assisted home ownership scheme, with 56 transactions across four rounds of funding completed to date. The latest round was launched in July with £2 million of funding, and I am confident that we will support even more Islanders into home ownership by the end of the year.  

We are now reviewing the scheme to ensure it fulfils its objectives, targets the right people, and gives young people hope that they, too, can achieve home ownership in Jersey and have a future here. This assessment will inform decisions regarding the continuation of the scheme and potential future funding.

I am working closely with Andium Homes, which continues to roll out its successful Homebuy scheme. This scheme has already supported a further 117 households into home ownership this year, which includes 67 homes on the fantastic new Maisons Les Arches development. SoJDC have also now gone live with pre-sales for 139 new homes on its Westward development, 25% of which will be assisted purchase, and many more available to first-time buyers with the support of a deposit payment scheme. More broadly, I am continuing to support the development of rezoned housing sites and collaborating with developers of major projects to ensure that at least 15% of new developments include assisted purchase products.

  1. Improving the experience of renters  

Rental sector 

Nearly half of Islanders rent their home, and they deserve security and fairness. This year, we reached a major milestone in modernising the Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Law 2011. After five years of tireless campaigning, key changes to this law were finally passed in September. With the law achieving Royal Assent in November, we are moving closer to enactment, which is on track for Q2 2026.

The amendments to the law will: 

  • Improve security of tenure 
  • Protect against revenge evictions and excessive rent increases 
  • Establish an independent Rent Tribunal to resolve rent increase disputes 

I am also pleased to update that we have renewed the Government’s contract with MyDeposits, which safeguards tenancy deposits and provides an appropriate dispute resolution service. The scheme plays a vital role in promoting fairness and trust in the rental market, giving both tenants and landlords confidence that deposits are protected and disputes are resolved independently and fairly.  

Access to social housing 

Andium Homes has delivered more than 1,000 new homes over the past decade, which has allowed us to widen access to social housing through the Affordable Housing Gateway. In line with our Roadmap for improving access to social housing in Jersey, I have taken steps to make eligibility fairer and more inclusive by:  

  • Lowering the age of eligibility for single people and couples without children from 30 to 25 
  • Raising income limits to reflect housing costs  
  • Removing capital and asset limits to support financial independence 

These changes make social housing an affordable, high quality, and secure tenure option for Islanders, and I am planning on making further announcements soon that will continue the journey of widening, managing and promoting access to these homes. 

Ensure fair social housing rent levels 

We are working on a review of the social housing rents model, with findings due for publication in January 2026.  

This review aims to explore how the model is able to ensure rent levels are kept fair whilst not placing tenants in financial stress. It also considers how this is balanced to ensure the long-term sustainability of social housing providers and enabling the continued sustainable delivery of new homes.  

  1. Addressing the plight of homelessness 

I remain fully committed to addressing the plight of homelessness – a complex challenge that requires coordinated action across Government, charities, and social housing providers. Since the Jersey Homelessness Strategy was published in 2020, a range of actions have been implemented to strengthen support for Islanders who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.  

What we have achieved 

There has been much progress made to ensure everyone in Jersey can access affordable, secure, and good quality accommodation by: 

  • Defining and understanding homelessness: We have adopted clear definition of homelessness, creating a consistent framework for identifying and supporting individuals. 
  • Improving evidence on the scale and nature of homelessness: Regular data collection and quarterly reports have been introduced to build a more accurate picture of homelessness in Jersey, bringing together data from government services and homelessness accommodation providers.  
  • Creating a housing advice hub: A dedicated Housing Advice Service offers a single point of contact for Islanders seeking housing support. 
  • Providing a housing safety net for all: Emergency and temporary accommodation options have been expanded to ensure that short-term accommodation options are in place for anyone who needs them. 
  • Strengthening the role and supply of social housing: We continue to increase supply, widen eligibility, and prioritise homelessness applications through the Affordable Housing Gateway. 

These actions, delivered in partnership with the Homelessness Cluster, have laid a strong foundation for a more coordinated and effective response to homelessness in Jersey. But so much more still needs to be done. 

The next phase of policy development must focus on: 

  • Improving referral pathways for Islanders to access housing support 
  • Strengthening outreach activities to engage individuals who might not otherwise seek help  
  • Conducting holistic assessments of housing and support needs 
  • Increasing the availability and accessibility of move-on and supported accommodation. 

Continuation of this work is vital to ensure all Islanders have the security, dignity, and support they deserve to live in a stable home.   

What’s next?  

In the final months of this term, I will focus on: 

  • Enacting the amendments to the Residential Tenancy Law, including beginning the recruitment of members to the new Rent Tribunal 
  • Completing the First Step evaluation; and Social Rents Policy review 
  • Further widening, managing and promoting access to social housing in Jersey 
  • Publishing the Homelessness Strategy progress report 

These are not just policy milestones – they are practical steps that will make a real difference to Islanders’ lives. 

Housing remains a challenge that demands persistence and partnership. We’ve made strong progress, but there is more to do. Together, we can build a housing system that works for everyone – one that gives families security, supports independence, and ensures no one is left behind.