New Residential Tenancies Law

Over one-third of Jersey's population lives in rental accommodation.¹ It is therefore surprising that there is little law relating to residential tenancies. What statutes dates back to 1919 and 1946, are written in French and is not easily digestible to the non-lawyer. In July 2009, the States of Jersey sought to redress the lack of clarity and public understanding surrounding the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants, by approving the Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Law 200- ("the Law"). The law which is designed to encourage the development of fair, transparent and well-regulated agreements between landlord and tenant will come in to force once it has been approved by the Privy Council. Everyone involved in renting property, whether as landlord or tenant, should familiarise themselves with the terms of the Law as failure to comply may constitute the committing of an offence.