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40 properties are already "under review" following the Housing Minister's call-out for islanders to volunteer their empty homes to help resolve the island's housing crisis.
Deputy David Warr made the announcement as he launched the 'Empty Homes Service', which was one of six 'action points' in his ‘Action on Vacant Properties' plan published at the end of last year.
The Empty Homes Service will aim to provide guidance to owners who might be unsure how to go about bringing an empty home back into use, while also working to identify long-term empty properties and find out why they might be empty.
Islanders can log the location of homes they believe to be vacant by emailing or calling the service or reporting one online.
Pictured: Housing Minister David Warr estimates that there are around 900 empty homes in Jersey.
The most recent census estimated that roughly 4,000 homes were vacant in Jersey - almost one in every 10 properties.
However, following research by his officers, Deputy Warr estimates the true number of empty homes to be around 900.
Deputy Warr outlined in his Ministerial Plan that he wished to prioritise dealing with the issue of empty homes and has previously stated that compulsory purchase action is also being considered "where all other available options have been exhausted", and where public interest in acquiring a property can be "proven."
Among the recent methods used to identify empty properties has been asking islanders to send forms alongside rates returns.
So the start of our work with the help of the Committee des Connetable begins as we endeavour to crack this vacant homes issue. Together we can sort this issue out once and for all. pic.twitter.com/jNt4YfnGSf
— David Warr (@WarrOnWords) December 5, 2022
Deputy Warr pledged to publish an update report in the summer to let islanders know about the progress of the service.
He said it "may include further actions should it become clear that is necessary to get even more homes back into use".
"We already have 40 cases under review, and that’s before the service had even launched," he continued.
"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."
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