'Landlord neglect has cost half of my business'
BBCA pet groomer said her landlord's failure to carry out repairs in the building housing the shop she rents has led to her losing business.
Several shops in Les Quennevais Precinct, in Jersey, are empty and in a state of disrepair. Earlier in October, the States approved plans for the regeneration of the area in a planning framework.
Suzie Hazlewood, the owner of Mucky Mutz, said UK landlord High Tide Investments Ltd, which is understood to own all but one of the precinct's commercial units, had not wanted "to do any repairs at all" and therefore the units in the area were "unfit for purpose".
The BBC has contacted High Tide Investments Ltd for a comment.
Ms Hazlewood said problems started soon after she moved her businesses into the unit in December 2022.
She said: "It rained and water came pouring through the ceiling, it went straight into the electrics.
"We contacted the managing agent Maillards straight away, it got worse with mould and fungus growing, they said nothing can be done when the weather is bad but, when the weather was good, we were forgotten about.
"Over the last three years, it's just gone to ruin."
"Last year, I got an electrical report that said: 'This is a risk to life, you have to get out,' so we moved out in February 2024."
At that point, Ms Hazlewood said she stopped paying the rent in protest and High Tide Investments Ltd took her to the petty debts court.
The case was thrown out on a technicality, with the court ruling a debt collection agency being hired to represent High Tide was not able to represent the company at court.
The company was ordered to pay 65% of Ms Hazlewood's legal fees, which she said the firm had still not done.
Ms Hazlewood said she had been locked out the shop since April, even though she was the leaseholder and the landlord was still sending her rent invoices.
She said, because of this situation, and despite her dog grooming business now being mobile so she could go to clients, she had "lost half her business and thousands of pounds".
"Financially, it's caused an awful lot of worry and heartache," she said.
Earlier in October, the States Assembly voted to include a regeneration plan for Les Quennevais Parade and Precinct in the West of Island Planning Framework and, in November, the assembly is due to debate ways in which to discourage landlords from leaving commercial units empty.
In her regeneration proposals, Deputy Helen Miles wrote: "The parade and precinct are now in a very poor state and are showing the effects of years of neglect from a seemingly disinterested commercial landlord."
Ms Hazlewood said: "It's absolutely appalling that there are so many loopholes in the commercial law and landlords are allowed to get away with what they do.
"The UK landlords that own the commercial premises here don't want to do any repairs at all. This is why you have so many units here empty because they are clearly unfit for purpose and you can't operate any business form them."
Ms Hazlewood said that, while internal repairs were her responsibility, a hole in the roof causing water to get into her unit along a walkway, was structural damage and that was down to the commercial landlord to sort out.
Managing agents Maillard and Co told the BBC that: "Effectively, the commercial tenants are responsible for the internal repairs and the shop fronts to their units."
They added the commercial landlord and the owners of the flats above the shops were responsible for paying for the structural repairs and common area.
"Our team diligently manages the repairs, maintenance and other communal expenses in collaboration with the co-owners," it said.
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