31 January 2023
The Minister for Housing and Communities, Deputy David Warr, has launched the Government of
Jersey’s Empty Homes Service to support bringing vacant homes across the Island back into use.
The new service - accessed via www.gov.je/emptyhomes - will also help to develop a greater
understanding of the reasons why some properties are being left empty for long periods of time.
Deputy Warr outlined in his Ministerial Plan that he wished to prioritise dealing with the issue, and
make better use of Jersey’s existing housing stock. His Action on Vacant Properties plan, published
in November, highlighted six key actions that are being taken.
The Empty Homes Service has two main functions. The first is to provide guidance to owners,
where they might be unsure how to go about bringing an empty home back into use, or where
they might be facing specific difficulties that the service can either help them overcome or can take
into account when developing future policies.
The second main function is to work with the community to identify where long-term empty
properties exist, why they might be empty, and what can be done to return them to use as quickly
as possible. Islanders can log the location of homes using the online webform or by emailing or
calling the service.
The Minister for Housing and Communities, Deputy David Warr, said: “Whether you know of a
property sitting empty and would love to see something done about it, or you own an empty home
but need pointing in the right direction, the Empty Homes Service will do what it can to help.
“I’m really pleased to get this off the ground today, with all six of my key actions on vacant
properties now well under way. I’ll be publishing an update report in the summer to let people
know how we are getting on, and this may include further actions should it become clear that is
necessary to get even more homes back into use.
“Following the forms we issued with Parish Rates declarations earlier this year, and people getting
in touch after I published my Action on Vacant Properties plan, we already have 40 cases under
review, and that’s before the service had even launched. It’s clear to me how much people care
about this issue – they’re sad to see homes lying empty and falling into disrepair, and owners know
they’re sitting on a wasted resource and want to do something about it.
“Whilst the launch of the Empty Homes Service is an important step forward, it is only one of the
things that need to be done to tackle Jersey’s housing crisis and there will be more on this over the
coming weeks and months.”
Islanders looking for advice about vacant properties, or wishing to let the service know about an
empty home they know about, can visit www.gov.je/emptyhomes, where they can also use the
webforms to get in touch. The team can be contacted by emailing emptyhomes@gov.je or by
calling 01534 441614.
gov.je