News
September 2020 GPRLA Newsletter
This newsletter is about our GPRLA website, various States of Guernsey laws affecting Guernsey landlords and our forthcoming open meeting on 1st October.
GPRLA Website
This newsletter and documents related to the forthcoming AGM are available there and the Guide to Letting can be accessed and downloaded. We know some of our members never visit the website, www.guernseylandlords.gg but it does hold other useful information including your personal details which you gave us when joining. You can amend these by logging into the website secure members area. It also contains details of offers to our members, e.g. savings on property insurance, cleaning services, cosy of appliances, and more are on the way.
Below is recent information about various States of Guernsey Laws affecting Landlords.
We are hoping Lyndon Trott may address some of this when talking to us at the open meeting at 7 pm before the 8 pm AGM on 1st October at Guernsey Yacht Club, Castle Emplacement. All landlords are welcome to the open meeting, then non-members can join if they wish to stay on for the AGM.
General Housing Law
This summer The States approved the writing of a regulation of housing law, which will now be produced by the Law Officers at some point. This law will include
- the introduction of a health and safety rating system
- introduction of basic housing standards
- enforcement measures for rented dwellings
- a deposit protection scheme
- registration of all rental properties
- licencing system for HMO’s
- preventing landlords from advertising their rental property as ‘No children’ unless it meets the following – it’s a care facility or residential home, or reserved for particular persons, or a head lease or planning condition prevents families due to the amenity required for neighbours, or it needs to comply with Environmental Health Guidelines in respect of overcrowding.
Data Protection
In January 2021 exemptions from registration with ODPA (The Office of the Data Protection Authority) will be removed. So landlords and NPO’s (Not for Profit Organisations) will be required to register with ODPA. There is no fee for NPO’s, but landlords will have to pay a registration fee of £50 p.a. unless they are a larger organisation when it will be £2,000 p.a. This registration will be private within ODPA, rather than an open register which anyone could access. Fines and powers? We are trying to find out.
Visit https://odpa.gg/registration-and-beyond/ for more information and to register.
Discrimination Legislation
This new law will start by focussing on discrimination against disabled people and also on discrimination against carers. Although carers of disabled people are part of this, there is a chance that this will affect landlords ability to exclude families/children from living in their rentals because the parent/s would be considered to be carers. It will be interesting to see how this develops.
