First time home buyers

Definition of first time buyer

A first time buyer is a potential home buyer who has never owned property before.

First time buyer properties are designed to help people move on to the housing ladder. If you own a first time buyer property, you must occupy that property as your principal residence.

Stamp duty

If the property you’re buying is under £700,000, you’ll pay a reduced amount of stamp duty.

First time buyer developments

Being a first time buyer means that you can buy a home on a specially designated first time buyer development. These homes are advertised by local estate agents and are only sold to people who are first time buyers.

Affordable housing schemes

Being a first time buyer also means you can apply to purchase a home through the affordable housing purchase scheme. This means you can buy a home through schemes offered by various housing providers.

Affordable housing purchase schemes

Who qualifies as a first time buyer

You’re a first time buyer if you:

have never owned or had an interest in any residential property on your own or with someone else anywhere in the world
have Entitled residential status or plan to buy the property with an Entitled spouse or civil partner who has also never owned a residential property anywhere in the world
are going to live in the property as your principal place of residence

Residential statuses and what they mean

Find further details in the first time buyer policy guidance to understand if you’re eligible to buy and occupy a first time buyer property in Jersey and the required due diligence.

First time buyer policy guidance

Benefits of being a first time buyer

You can purchase and occupy first time buyer homes, which are typically priced below market rate. You must be a first time buyer to purchase and live in these homes.

Being a first time buyer also means you can access the Government’s Assisted Purchase Pathway. This allows you to qualify for schemes such as Andium Home buy.

The first time you purchase a property, if that's on the open market or a home restricted to first time buyers, you’ll benefit from a reduction in stamp duty, currently on properties up to a value of £700,000.

This benefit can be for any type of property across the market. It does not need to be a home restricted to first time buyers. You only benefit from the stamp duty reduction once on your first property purchase. You do not need to pay back the stamp duty you save. If you go on to purchase another property, you’ll be liable for the full stamp duty owed.

If you already own a property

There are circumstances where you might be given discretion to buy a first time buyer property even if you already own a property.

This only applies where you plan to buy a designated first time buyer home and does not include reductions to stamp duty or land transaction tax. These circumstances are set out in the first time buyer policy guidance.

Inheriting properties and your first time buyer status

If you own or have ever owned a property anywhere then you’re not a first time buyer. It does not matter if the ownership is:

direct
through share transfer ownership
through inheritance

In certain circumstances such as inheritance, you may be able to receive discretion to buy a first time buyer property even if you’re no longer a first time buyer. You need to complete the form below and send it to the Housing Advice Service by email to housingadvice@gov.je.

You’ll need to provide details about your personal and financial circumstances. If you’re looking to buy a property with another person, you’ll both need to complete the form.

Request for Ministerial discretion to purchase a first-time buyer home

You should contact the Housing Advice Service as soon as possible to make sure that decisions can be made in a timely manner and avoid delays when buying a home.

The Housing Advice Service, acting on behalf of the Minister for Housing, will only grant exceptions for pre-existing ownership based on housing need, including financial and personal circumstances.

In doing so, we’ll consult with senior policy officers or property lawyers in the Law Officers’ Department before making a decision. We may also escalate your request to the Minister for review depending on the complexity of your housing situation.

This is to make sure access to first time buyer home is kept for those who truly need it.

Renting out your first time buyer home

First time buyer homes are intended for owner occupation only. However, there are circumstances where you may be allowed to rent out your home if you meet certain conditions.

Find additional details in the first time buyer policy guidance.

Relationship breakdowns

There are some instances where you can be given discretion to buy a first time buyer property even if you have previously owned property.

A relationship breakdown is one of those scenarios. If you own a house and your relationship breaks down, you may be able to access the assisted purchase scheme to buy a new home for you and your children. This is based on an assessment of your personal and financial circumstances.

If your request for first-time buyer discretion is granted, you will not benefit from reduced stamp duty. The first time buyer stamp duty relief is only for your first purchase.

You need to complete the form below and send it to the Housing Advice Service by email to housingadvice@gov.je.