First-Time Buyer Support in Jersey: What Is Available

Jersey's main help for first-time buyers is a reduced stamp duty rate on homes under £700,000, plus access to first-time buyer restricted homes and the government's Assisted Purchase Pathway. Whether you can use any of it depends first on your residential status, so that is the place to start — before deposits, before lenders, and before you view anything.

Who counts as a first-time buyer in Jersey

The Government of Jersey's first-time buyer guidance defines a first-time buyer as someone who has never owned property before — anywhere, not just on the island. If you have owned a flat in the UK or elsewhere, you do not qualify, even if you have only ever rented in Jersey.

The same page sets two further conditions:

• You must live in the property as your principal residence.
• You must have Entitled residential status, or be buying with an Entitled spouse or civil partner.

Residential status decides what you can buy

Your status under the Control of Housing and Work (Jersey) Law 2012 sets the kind of property you are allowed to own. According to gov.je's residential status guide:

Status	How you get it	What it means for buying
Entitled	10 years' ordinary residence without a break	Can buy, sell and rent any property
Entitled for work	5 years' ordinary residence without a break	Can buy only with a partner who holds a qualifying status, and must live there
Licensed	Through an employer	Can buy most property, but not first-time buyer or social housing

The practical point: a Licensed buyer can get a mortgage, but cannot use first-time buyer restricted housing, and an Entitled for work buyer needs a partner to buy at all. A lender will ask for your status early, so have your registration card to hand.

How much the first-time buyer stamp duty rate saves

First-time buyers pay a lower rate of stamp duty. On gov.je's land transaction tax and stamp duty rates page, the first-time buyer bands are 0% on the first £350,000 and 1% between £350,000 and £600,000, with a £90 base charge on every transaction. Relief tapers above £600,000 and stops entirely for properties over £700,000.

Two things to know:

• The relief is used once. The first-time buyer page confirms you benefit only on your first purchase, and you do not repay it if you later buy again.
• Work the stamp duty figure into the cash you need alongside your deposit and legal fees, rather than assuming it can be added to the loan.

Restricted homes and the Assisted Purchase Pathway

Some homes in Jersey are designated first-time buyer restricted properties. These are only sold to first-time buyers and are usually priced below the open market.

Separately, the government runs an Assisted Purchase Pathway, which includes schemes such as Andium Homebuy, for buyers who cannot reach an open-market purchase on their own. Eligibility and availability change, so check the current criteria on gov.je before you plan around one of these schemes.

Assisted or restricted purchases may carry conditions on resale and occupation. Ask your advocate or solicitor to explain those in writing before you commit, because they affect what a lender will accept as security.

What a lender looks at on a first purchase

Once status and eligibility are settled, the mortgage decision is about affordability and paperwork. Expect a lender or broker to ask for:

• proof of identity and residential status;
• recent payslips or, if self-employed, accounts and tax assessments;
• bank statements showing where your deposit has come from, including any gift from family;
• a list of existing credit commitments.

Check your credit file before you apply and correct anything wrong. A missed payment you did not know about is easier to explain up front than after a decline.

Getting quotes without committing to one lender

If you want to see what property purchase finance might look like for your situation, you can send an enquiry through Best Loans Jersey. Enquiring involves no credit check. We are an introducer, not a lender, and the team compares options from several lenders across Jersey and Guernsey, then aims to call you back within one business day.

Before you agree to anything, ask each adviser or lender for a written breakdown of fees, including any broker fee, arrangement fee and early repayment charge, so you are comparing like with like.