Calls for tax breaks for islanders who rent out spare bedrooms in Guernsey

A Guernsey charity is calling for tax breaks for islanders who rent out spare bedrooms in their homes.

The charity thinks the incentive could help ease the island's housing crisis and wants to see more options of accommodation for young people across the Bailiwick.

Citizens Advice Guernsey say the number of people coming to them with issues around affordable housing is on track to double this year.

The Access to Affordable Housing report from 2022 and the first quarter of 2023, showed that Citizens Advice Guernsey saw 37 individual clients in the first three months of this year, compared to a total of 79 throughout 2022.

Annie Ashmead, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Guernsey, said: “In light of the findings in Citizens Advice Guernsey’s latest report, it may be time to consider more creative and alternative housing solutions to help solve Guernsey’s housing crisis.

“If things continue at this rate, we can expect nearly double the number of clients by the end of the year.

“Considering we are in a cost-of-living crisis, it is not surprising that we are seeing more people struggling to pay their rent and more people wanting to get themselves on the waiting list for social housing.

"This is clearly becoming an increasingly serious problem and needs to be addressed."

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