TENANTS will get a preview of new States-house rent and rebate proposals. The Housing Department is finalising details of the new scheme and will bring them to the House by the end of the year.

But the department has promised to discuss the new arrangements with the States Tenants’ Action Group (Stag) beforehand.

‘The department has given an undertaking that it will meet with them to discuss its proposals for a new rents and rebates scheme,’ said Housing deputy minister Mark Dorey.

Stag last year met the then Housing Authority to discuss its proposals but these were not brought to the States before the election.

Currently rents are based on earnings inclusive of overtime, with the lower-paid getting rebates and the higher paid being charged extra.

Stag acting-chairwoman Christine Le Jean said that the group wanted to discuss changes to the system before any proposals were taken to the States.

In particular she wanted to find out more about suggestions that there would be no ‘super-renters’ in future – nobody would pay more than a quarter of their income on rent.

Mrs Le Jean also wanted the department to provide more homes itself.

She praised the work of the Housing Association but said that the department should provide more accommodation because of the costs of the private rental sector and mortgages. She added that more houses were needed, not just flats, because there were many families who needed the extra space.

* People have had trouble getting in touch with secretary Rod Hamon whose phone number was misprinted in a Stag newsletter. To contact him call 728347.