Residency requirements for house purchases
We are a decade into a housing crisis with little action by Government in that time. one suggested part of the issue is homes being bought by non-residents as investments, but there's a huge gap in the data. Conveyancing doesn't record how many properties go to non-residents, companies, or owner-occupiers. A small amendment to the Land Registry conveyancing forms would capture this. If the data confirms that non-residents are buying for investment only, I'll push for residency and owner-occupier requirements on purchases. If it shows this isn't the problem, I'll say so.
Build on what we already own
Government owns land across the Island, and in a housing crisis, holding developable public land while residents cannot find homes is a choice rather than an inevitabilty. I'd push for a published register of Government -owned land suitable for housing, with a reason given for any site not brough forward, and for the Manx Development Corporation to be judged on homes completed rather than schemes announced.
Affordable Housing and Social Housing
Large development should be required to include both affordable and social housing with no buying out of the affordable housing obligation. The metric for "affordable" should be directly linked to median Manx earnings. Where Government helps a first-time buyer through shared equity, the rise in equity value should be the taxpayer's fair return; first-time buyers shouldn't also pay interest on equity they don't own.
Tenant's rights
Renters need real protection in a market where more people need rented homes than are available. I'll push for a mandatory deposit protection scheme, so deposits are held securely and returned fairly. I'd also back an independent arbitration service to resolve tenant-landlord disputes quickly and cheaply, without either side going to court.
Derelict properties
In a housing crisis, leaving a home derelict for years should have consequences. Government needs clear, escalating powers so usable homes don't rot while residents go without.