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Around 3,000 islanders were on the Government's affordable housing waiting list last month, with more than 400 in a category containing some of the island’s most vulnerable residents.
According to new figures, 430 islanders on the waiting list for affordable housing are of the “highest priority”, which includes those who are homeless, under eviction notice, and with urgent medical issues.
Pictured: Housing Minister Deputy Russell Labey outlined the details of those on the Affordable Housing Gateway.
The numbers were released following a written question from Senator Sam Mézec to Housing Minister Deputy Russell Labey, asking for a breakdown of applications to the gateway.
430 islanders were categorised as 'Band 1', which includes: “applicants who are actually homeless, under eviction notice, in tied accommodation, urgent medical issues, no rights to current accommodation such as staying with family or forced to live apart as present accommodation is not suitable.
“For transferring tenants in social housing this refers to those under occupying their current home and urgent medical circumstances," the reply said.
Similarly, there were 304 islanders on the list who were applying due to “overcrowding, poor housing standards, moderate medical. For transferring tenants in social housing this refers to those suffering from grave overcrowding or moderate medical circumstances.”
The highest proportion of applicants on the list were the 1,996 people who “wish to purchase an affordable home… who need some form of assistance to get on the property ladder.”
Pictured: Andium are currently in the process of constructing 538 affordable homes.
The other categories making up the list are detailed below:
In response to questions on work to build more, the Housing Minister outlined that there are 538 affordable homes being built by Andium. 251 more have planning permission but are not yet under construction.
It wasn’t the only question on housing issues put to the Minister either this week, with Deputy Rob Ward also bringing to his attention the issue of ‘gazumping’ - the act of a vendor accepting the highest offer on a property, despite having previously accepted a different offer verbally.
Speaking to Express about why he brought the questions to the Minister, Deputy Ward said that it was queries that came from his constituents both in e-mails and in his drop-in sessions, citing a recent example.
“On this occasion, it was somebody looking to downsize, exactly the sort of thing Government wants to happen… thought they had everything sorted out and then at the last point they were told - ‘sorry we’ve accepted something from someone else,’” the Deputy said.
He added that it got him thinking: “In the current housing market here, which does seem to be obviously extraordinarily competitive, I wondered if the Government took any measures to record the incidents of that happening and whether they would be willing to take any action.”
In response to Deputy Ward’s queries on the matter, the Housing Minister said that there is “there is currently no legislation in Jersey that offers protection against Gazumping”, and that the Government does not have the figures to hand on it.
Furthermore, he stated they do not have any plans to address it as a specific issue, arguing that an “approach that focuses on a whole set of standards across the property sector would be more effective.”
The topic of affordable housing and buying practices made headlines earlier this month, following a new report from Statistics Jersey showing that the price of 2- bedroom flats and three-bedroom houses have hit new highs in the property sector.
The average price of the former stood at £460,000, while the latter - once considered an 'average family home' is selling for roughly £710,000.
Pictured: From 2002, three bedroom houses have gone up in price from under £400,000 to over £700,000.
The report found that homes in Jersey were, on average, more expensive than both Guernsey and London.
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