Vacant homes (FOI)Vacant homes (FOI)
Produced by the Freedom of Information officeAuthored by Government of Jersey and published on
07 May 2019.Request
It is usual for an authority for a housing authority to have an empty homes register. From Jersey's empty homes register:
A
How many empty homes are there in Jersey?
B
How many of these are owned by the States of Jersey?
C
How many are owned by private landlords?
D
How many are single bedrooms?
E
How many are Homes of Multiple Occupancy?
Where can the strategy be found for bringing the back into use?
Response
The Government of Jersey does not hold a vacant homes register. Some local authorities in the UK maintain and publish a register as part of their strategy to monitor and tackle vacant dwellings, but this is not a legal requirement.
A
Information on the number of vacant homes in Jersey is derived from the 2011 Census. This indicated that, out of a total housing stock of 44,698 dwellings, 3,103 residential dwellings (7% of the total) were vacant on the day of the Census. The reasons for dwellings being vacant were:
| Reason for vacancy |
|---|
| Between tenants | 29% |
| Second / holiday home | 23% |
| Property being built or renovated | 18% |
| For sale | 10% |
| Resident deceased | 6% |
| Resident in care home | 5% |
| Owner away long term | 3% |
| Other reason | 6% |
B
This information cannot be generated from the findings of the 2011 Census. However, information provided internally shows 19 units of accommodation owned by the Government of Jersey are currently vacant, equating to 79 bedrooms. These dwellings are vacant as a result of redevelopment, refurbishment and temporary voids.
Within Health and Community Services (as at 10 April), the following dwellings used as staff accommodation were vacant:
| Rooms in shared houses | 20 |
| Bedsit/studio | 9 |
| 1 bed unit | 0 |
| 2 bed unit | 6 |
| 3 bed unit | 3 |
The reasons for the voids were for redecoration and maintenance work, being prepared for new staff arrivals and awaiting arrivals. The numbers of voids within Health and Community Services changes on a daily basis depending on the demands for temporary and locum staff.
C
This information cannot be generated from the findings of the 2011 Census. However, the main reason for vacancies was that dwellings were between tenants. This would include both social and private rented dwellings.
D
The breakdown of vacant properties on Census day by number of bedrooms was as follows:
| Number of bedrooms |
|---|
| One | 41% |
| Two | 28% |
| Three | 19% |
| Four or more | 12% |
E
This information cannot be generated from the findings of the 2011 Census.
More information on vacant dwellings from the 2011 Census can be found here:
Households and housing
gov.je