THE minimum standards for legal rental accommodation in Guernsey are very low, according to Environmental Health.

This follows news that the Health and Social Services Department is to propose law changes to stop vulnerable tenants, such as guest workers, from being exploited.

HSSD minister Hunter Adam (pictured) described weaknesses in current legislation that allowed landlords to cram in as many people as possible into small floor-areas.

But Elvio Pires, the president of the Portuguese Association in Guernsey, expressed doubt that the exploitation problem was common, saying he had heard no reports of it.

Deputy chief environmental health officer Tony Rowe confirmed that standards were low but did say that the department had not received reports of overcrowding.

He said the crowding that Deputy Adam referred to had involved the use of bunk-beds to maximise the use of room volumes in relation to floor areas.

Overcrowding was not rife, he confirmed, but he said every person who was affected could suffer as a result.