30 November 2012
The latest Housing Needs Survey provides a detailed picture of supply and demand resulting from the stated intentions of Jersey households in mid-2012. It also provides detailed analysis of affordability as well as the needs of first-time buyers.
The information for the survey was collected through a set of questions included in the 2012 round of the Jersey Annual Social Survey.
Key findings
Based on the intentions of households (before applying affordability criteria) over the three-year period from 2013 to 2015:
- there is a potential shortfall of more than 1,000 units in the owner-occupier sector; there are large potential shortfalls of two- and three-bedroom properties in this sector and a potential surplus of larger sized properties
- there is an overall potential shortfall of more than 400 units of social housing; the greatest potential shortfall is of two-bedroom properties
- previous rounds of this survey had recorded overall potential surpluses of social housing, suggesting that demand for social housing has increased in recent years
Affordability
An affordability analysis was carried out to assess whether the total income of households planning to buy a property was actually sufficient to buy a flat or house of the size that they had indicated:
- applying practical affordability criteria considerably reduces the levels of the potential shortfalls in the owner-occupier sector
- in particular, the large shortfalls of two- and three-bedroom owner-occupier properties either are substantially reduced or eliminated
Jersey's Housing Assessment 2013 to 2015 report (government and administration section)
gov.je