Housing
The Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 has 4 main categories of residential and employment status. These determine where a person can live and work in Jersey and are summarised below.
Entitled – A person who has lived in Jersey for ten years. An ‘Entitled’ individual can buy, sell or lease any property, and has the right to work.
Licensed – A Person who is employed by a local business which has permission to employ a `Licensed’ person.
Whilst a person is a Licensed employee they can buy, sell or lease any property in their own name. There are restrictions on properties for first time buyers or social housing. They can only buy or rent one property as their sole place of residence in Jersey.
Entitled for Work – A Person who has lived in Jersey for a continuous period of five years immediately before the date of issue of their registration card, or is married to /the civil partner of someone who is Entitled, Licensed or Entitled for Work.
If someone has Entitled for Work status they can buy property jointly with an Entitled or Licensed spouse/civil partner, and can lease some types of “Registered” property (formerly ‘unqualified property’) as a main place of residence in their own name. Someone with Entitled for Work status can work anywhere.
Registered – A person who does not qualify under the other categories. A Registered person can only lease “Registered” property as a main place of residence in their own name. An employer needs permission to employ a person with Registered status.
The vast majority of people on the island gain their qualifications through a period of residence. While a variety of detailed provisions exist, the most common route to securing residential qualifications is an aggregated period of ten years residence.
Issues:
The Trust believes that further research should be undertaken, particularly to look at the wider social and economic consequences of Jersey’s two tier housing system. We believe that the potential for exploitation is increased for people in registered accommodation.
The long wait for housing qualifications and the high cost of buying a house requires a fresh appraisal.
Equal access to rental properties and home ownership is a cornerstone of social justice.