Lease – The Dangers Of DIY

First published in Places, July 2019.

Like freehold conveyances, leases for terms of more than 9 years must be passed before the Royal Court and registered in the Public Registry. By contrast, leases for shorter terms, known as 'paper' leases, do not require any such formality nor is it mandatory to employ a lawyer to prepare the document. It may therefore be tempting for parties entering into paper leases to prepare the documentation themselves. This is, however, an approach which can involve significant pitfalls.

In the residential context, the Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Law 2011 governs the content of all "residential tenancy agreements". There is a list of 11 matters that have to be specified in the document and certain other provisions that have to be included.