Leases
From 15 April 2026, the Residential Tenancy (Jersey) Amendment Law 2025 comes into effect for all self-contained accommodation.
Fixed‑term agreements made before the 15th of April 2026 will continue under the previous 2011 law until the end of their fixed term. The amended law will apply if they enter a new agreement or the fixed term ends and the tenant continues to live in the property and the landlord continues to accept rent.
Terms and conditions of a lease
The terms and conditions of a lease explain the things a tenant and landlord must do or obey while the tenant occupies the premises.
Type of Lease
There are 2 types of leases in Jersey:
A periodic tenancy is one that keeps running or continuing until notice is served, so long as the rent is paid every period. The period is calculated by when the rent is paid. For example, if rent is paid every month, it is a monthly periodic tenancy. If rent is paid every three months it is a quarterly periodic tenancy. A periodic tenancy may also be known as a rolling lease.
Any lease that does not include a term is automatically a periodic tenancy.
An Initial term tenancy is created when the landlord and tenant sign a lease that has a statement or term that says how long the lease is going to last for. This is called an initial term and they can be for a maximum of three years. The terms of this tenancy may or may not allow the tenant to ask for a renewal of the lease.
Renewal of a lease
A renewal of a lease is the name given to a lease which has finished but which the landlord and tenant agree to continue or start again. The landlord and tenant agree to continue the lease for another term so it is renewed.
If a lease has a clause about renewal in it, the landlord and tenant can discuss renewal before the current lease runs out. If there is no renewal clause it is good practice for parties to discuss their intentions well in advance of the lease ending.
Giving notice to end a lease
Periodic Tenancies:
As a tenant, you must give at least 1 month’s notice to end the lease.
As a landlord, you must give 1 years notice if no reason for ending the tenancy is provided.
Landlords may provide shorter notice for specific reasons, with the notice period depending on the reason and sometimes the length of tenancy. These notice periods range from 7 days to 6 months.
Initial Term:
Under the amended law, initial term tenancies must now include a break clause, a break clause is a term within the lease enabling a tenant or landlord to end the tenancy with the correct notice. A landlord could choose to include an additional clause within the lease that states when this break clause comes come into effect.
The tenant or landlord do not need to give formal notice if the other party is in breach of the terms of the tenancy agreement, or if you both agree to end the tenancy.
Condition reports
A condition report is a way for a landlord to record the physical condition and state of repair of a property when a tenant moves in and out.
Your landlord must complete a condition report within 7 days of you agreeing to live in the property.
If your landlord does not give you a condition report after 7 days, the report is taken as accepted to the extent that it’s completed.
If your landlord does not complete a condition report at all, they could be fined up to £10,000.
Cost of a lease
The landlord is entitled to pass on to the tenant the cost of having a lease prepared and written up. This cost must be disclosed to the tenant before they accept the lease as this is material information.
Assignment
Some leases include a clause allowing the tenant to transfer the lease to another tenant. This is called an assignment or re-assignment.
If there is no mention of being able to assign the lease, an assignment is still possible with the landlord’s permission.
If there is an assignment clause it means that the tenant can leave the premises before the end of the lease without giving notice to end the tenancy, so long as they have found someone to take on the lease. Assignments can be acceptable to a landlord because the new tenant has taken on the responsibilities of the lease and the landlord does not have to look for a new tenant when the lease expires or lose any rent.