Buying property in Jersey, Channel Islands: who can buy, what it costs and how it works

Entitled residents can buy any property, Licensed residents can buy one home to live in, and Standard status (most newcomers without a sponsor) cannot buy a freehold home, though it can buy and live in a share transfer flat that is Registered property. In Q2 2026 the mean price was £580,000 for a two-bed flat and £797,000 for a three-bed house. Stamp duty on an £800,000 main home is £17,590 in 2026, and a second home or buy-to-let pays 2 percentage points more on every band.

A housing law decides who may buy, and many flats are sold as company shares. This page reflects the rules after the 14 September 2026 changes; for your own case, ask a Jersey advocate or the Customer and Local Services hub.

Who can buy property in Jersey

The Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 says you must not buy land without the "appropriate status" (Article 19), and a company needs the Chief Minister's written consent (Article 20). In practice, gov.je says only Permanent Entitled, Entitled and Licensed residents can buy, with narrow exceptions for partners. That control covers land (freehold and flying freehold), not company shares, which is why share transfer flats work differently (see below).

Entitled status usually comes after ten years' residence; Licensed status comes through an employer licensed for your role. Our housing qualifications guide explains each one.

Licensed buyers carry one extra risk: Locate Jersey's guidance says that if you lose Licensed status before ten years' residence, you can no longer own or occupy a Qualified property, though it allows three months to find another Licensed role first. Ask your advocate what a change of job would mean before you buy.

What "non-qualified" or "unqualified" property means

Every home is classed as Qualified or Registered. "Registered" is the legal term; agents and older documents often say "non-qualified" or "unqualified". The September 2026 changes renamed Registered status to Standard, partly to avoid confusion with registered accommodation, but Registered property kept its name.

The category controls who may live in a home, not who may buy it. Qualified homes can be rented only by people with Permanent Entitled, Entitled, Licensed or Licensed for Lease Only status. Registered homes can be rented by anyone with a registration card, including Standard status: registered lodging accommodation, private lodgings and some flats.

Buying a freehold or flying freehold Registered home follows the same status rules as any other, so Standard status cannot. Share transfer is different. The housing law controls land, not company shares, so anyone can buy the shares in a flat's company (some listings say the flat "can be purchased by anyone"); your status only decides whether you may live there. Standard status may live in Registered property, whether renting or owning, so a Standard resident can buy a share transfer flat that is Registered and make it home. Gov.je's line that Standard status cannot buy refers to land. Few flats are both share transfer and Registered, and lenders may be cautious, so get an advocate's written confirmation of the flat's category before you offer. Otherwise renting is your route for now; see our renting guide.

What property costs

Statistics Jersey's House Price Index for Q2 2026, published on 6 August 2026, is the latest official data; the Q3 2026 index is due on 5 November 2026. Prices were 5 per cent higher than a year earlier but about 10 per cent below the Q3 2022 peak.

Samples are small (the two-bed flat mean is accurate only to plus or minus £102,000), so watch the trend. Share transfers made up 62 per cent of flat sales in the quarter.

There is no cheap end to the house market. The lowest entry point is a one-bed flat, at a mean of £326,000. Rents and running costs are on our cost of living page.

Stamp duty and land transaction tax

The buyer pays. Freehold and flying freehold purchases pay stamp duty; share transfers pay land transaction tax (LTT) at the same rates, due within 28 days. Each rate applies only to the slice of the price within its band, plus a £90 fee.

The higher rate applies to any home that will not be your main residence, such as a buy-to-let or second home. It was cut from 3 to 2 percentage points above the standard rate for 2026, and the proposed Budget 2027 would keep it at 2 points for 2027.

First-time buyers pay nothing up to £350,000 and 1 per cent from £350,000 to £600,000, with tapering relief to £700,000. You need Entitled status (or an Entitled spouse or civil partner), must never have owned residential property anywhere, and must live in the home. Licensed buyers do not qualify.

Mortgage duty is 0.5 per cent of the loan plus £90. Main homes valued up to £600,000 pay nothing, tapering to £700,000. The proposed Budget 2027 says ministers will consider removing it for Budget 2028.

Worked examples (2026)

All figures include the £90 fee. An £800,000 main home bought with a 90 per cent mortgage costs £21,280 in duty before legal fees. Our tax guide covers the wider system.

How buying works

Offers are made subject to contract, and nothing is binding until completion.

1. Check your status. Buying in your own name needs a registration card showing a status that allows it.
2. Arrange a Jersey mortgage. Only Jersey mortgages can be used, and you cannot transfer one from a property elsewhere.
3. Instruct a Jersey lawyer. Only an advocate or solicitor of the Royal Court can present a property contract. There is no certificate of title, so your lawyer takes responsibility for good title and runs searches (Public Registry, planning, roads, utilities, parish).
4. Get your own survey. A lender's valuation is for the bank, not you.
5. Complete. Freehold and flying freehold contracts pass before the Royal Court on Friday afternoons from 2.30pm, with you or your attorney present. Insure the building from 2.30pm that day. Share transfers can complete any day, though most happen on a Friday.

A typical purchase completes in about four weeks, longer in a chain. Besides duty, budget for legal fees (agreed with your lawyer, so get a quote), a survey and lender fees.

• Freehold: you own the land and everything on it.
• Flying freehold: you own a flat outright; an association of co-owners runs the building under a declaration of co-ownership. It passes before the Royal Court.
• Share transfer: you buy shares in the company that owns the building, giving you the right to occupy a specific flat. There is no court hearing, you pay LTT instead of stamp duty, and your lender takes security over the shares.

Mortgages and deposits

One Channel Islands lender's August 2026 rate sheet offered two-year fixes at 4.99 per cent and five-year fixes at 5.60 per cent, up to 90 per cent loan to value, with a £999 fee, to applicants who live in Jersey or Guernsey. Plan on a deposit of at least 10 per cent, plus stamp duty and fees in cash. Rates change often.

Help for first-time buyers

The Government's assisted purchase schemes are for Entitled residents only. You must be over 18, have lived in Jersey for more than six months, never have owned property anywhere, be unable to afford a suitable home on the open market, live in it and use any savings as a deposit. Household income limits:

You register for the Assisted Purchase Pathway through Andium Homes. Its Andium Homebuy scheme lets you defer 25 per cent of the price; you pay your own legal fees. Andium estimates waits of about a year for a one-bed flat, 18 months for a two-bed flat and three years for a house. The First Step scheme closed after its 2025 round.

Investors, second homes and non-residents

Without a qualifying status you cannot buy a freehold home in your own name, so a non-resident cannot buy a house here. Companies need the Chief Minister's consent, and policy favours ownership by Entitled residents.

Share transfer is the exception: buying the shares needs no registration card, so a non-resident can buy a flat as an investment. The tenant still needs the right status for the flat's category, you pay the higher rate of LTT, and borrowing may be harder, as at least one lender's residential mortgages are only for Jersey or Guernsey residents. Entitled residents can buy second homes and buy-to-lets at the higher rate.

Wealthy movers can be granted Entitled status on arrival through the high value residency route. The law sets no financial thresholds, but Locate Jersey's guidance still expects a home worth more than £3.5 million (a house) or £1.75 million (an apartment), so check the current position with them.

Frequently asked questions