'Rental costs doubled in our 10-month absence'

A man who left Guernsey said he was shocked to find the cost of rental accommodation had doubled when he returned 10 months later.

Tom Pinsard and his family moved to Australia in 2022 but after his wife was hurt in a car accident they decided to come back in June 2023.

Although they had arranged a rental house for their first day back, Mr Pinsard said the property was in such poor condition they could not live in it - but they could not then find an affordable alternative.

A report recently published by the Guernsey Community Foundation found young families were being "driven away" by rising living costs.

Mr Pinsard said when the family had left Guernsey in 2022 they had been paying £1,300 per month for a two-bedroom house near the beach on the west coast.

He said that in September 2023 they rented a "cramped" two-bedroom in St Sampsons that cost £2,600 per month.

Mr Pinsard added that he had found it "shocking that in such a short period of time, nine to 10 months, rental cost actually doubled".

The government's Property Prices Bulletin showed the average local market rental price was £2,068 a month in the first quarter of 2025.

That figure is 1.5% higher than the previous quarter, 8.2% higher than the first quarter of 2024 and 51.7% higher than five years ago.

Mr Pinsard said the family had been forced to live in temporary accommodation which had drained their savings.

"We got to the point where it was either we have to buy to get on to the property market or leave the island again," he said.

The Pinsards managed to buy a house, which needed renovation, thanks to "lots of sacrifices".

Mr Pinsard said his wife worked extra shifts at the hospital and he had a side business he ran at the weekends to ensure they had a home.

"It is possible but only through many, many extra hours which takes time away from the children and family," he added.