Doctors moving to Jersey over ‘terrible state’ of rental housing

The doctor, who asked not to be named when speaking to the Guernsey Press, moved to the island with his family at the beginning of 2024, but left after less than 18 months for a job in Jersey due to what he said was ‘sub-standard’ rental accommodation at excessive cost.

‘Guernsey is a beautiful island with really friendly people,’ he said.

‘But one of the reasons we decided to leave was the very poor standard of rental accommodation offered by private landlords on the island, many of whom offer terrible levels of service and maintenance. This is well below anything one would expect in a developed country.’

He added he was one of three doctors he knew who had left Guernsey for Jersey in the last year alone for this reason.

‘Speaking with other doctors and other professionals it is apparent that a very common reason for people like health workers and teachers not staying is the terrible state of properties to rent on the island,’ he said.

‘This also accounts for the difficulties practices and hospitals face in recruiting and retaining professionals.’

He said he had found a far greater choice of accommodation in Jersey of higher quality for a similar price.

‘They subscribe to the UK’s tenant landlord laws, which helps to prevent profiteering from landlords for properties that are unsafe, poorly maintained and well below expectations for the rent paid.’

The doctor said that in Guernsey he had been paying £3,000 a month to rent a three-bed house with failed double glazing, no insulation and bottom-of-the-range kitchen appliances that were 20 years old.

‘The boiler was ancient and worked poorly and black mould accumulated on the walls of the bedrooms where our children slept,’ he said.

The doctor had moved from the UK after 10 years working in the NHS and had originally considered jobs on both Channel Islands, before picking Guernsey.

He added that the income for a new GP on each island was broadly comparable and both offered a competitive salary.

‘Ultimately, with people in the UK, when they’re looking at one island, they’ll always look at the other,’ he said.

‘As a doctor you don’t expect to be rich, but you also do expect to be able to afford decent levels of accommodation. There was no pride in showing people where we lived, which is something anyone would understand and appreciate.’

Local British Medical Association representative Mat Dorrian admitted it was no secret that the state of the rental market in Guernsey was making it difficult for lots of professions and affected both recruitment and retention.

‘Guernsey is a really attractive place to come and live and work, but there are some barriers,’ he said.

‘There is no doubt that one of the biggest factors is finding suitable accommodation, and that has definitely got more difficult in the last 10 years, and recently even more so.’

He added that ultimately the issue could only be addressed by state intervention.

‘I think the States are listening and there’s a recognition which is encouraging, but recognising the problem and then being able to take action are two different things when we know the States are really pushed for money,’ he said.

‘We want to have good education, we want to have good health, and to have those things, we’ve got to have staff to deliver those. The majority of those staff will come from off-island and that’s an ongoing challenge for Guernsey.’

Health & Social Care declined to comment. There are currently nearly 30 jobs being advertised in Health & Social Care – which is nearly half of all the jobs the States is currently looking to fill.