More people seek help for rental deposits

The majority of people seeking help with deposits for rental properties are those aged between 55 and 59, a charity has said.

Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Advice Guernsey Alison Marquis said so far this year, 11 people had asked the charity for help and guidance about affording a deposit.

"It's possibly an area people wouldn't have expected to be struggling," she said.

Marquis said she welcomed the Guernsey Community Savings' new and interest-free, Rental Deposit Scheme helping islanders who can not afford the upfront costs of securing a home in the private rental market.

Marquis said some of the reasons why people between 55 and 59 years old may be seeking help could be due to a relationship breakdown or ill-health.

She said: "When you look at the statistics regarding housing, that's the highest age range of clients that come to Citizen's Advice regarding housing issues.

"I don't think it's a trend that's specific to Citizen's Advice, I think it's general."

Joe Brown from Guernsey Community Savings said islanders deserved access to a safe and secure home but some were being "financially excluded".

He said: "Not because some can't afford the rent but can't afford the upfront cost like a deposit and rent costs."

Brown added loan repayments would also be flexible and people on a low income, or receiving benefits, would have a "smaller repayment amount".

The scheme is supported by a one-off grant of £50,000 from Employment, Social Security and Housing.

Marquis said the scheme was a "positive step" and would "make a difference" to people securing a property.

Both Marquis and Brown said the demand and competition for rental properties had increased in recent years and rental accommodation was not as available compared to 10 years ago.

"We're seeing more people come to Citizens Advice with issues like finding deposits for rentals and there isn't as many properties as possible available you can actually rent," Marquis said.

"When you do find one, you need to be quick, you need to find a deposit and do it straight away."

States of Guernsey's operations director for Social Security, States Housing, and Inclusion, Ed Ashton said: "What I've experienced is a gradual increase in people needing to make swift decisions about whether they can take on a particular tenancy and also lacking the money because private tenancy sectors have gone up and up."

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