Property tax · Jersey
Find a property tax lawyer in Jersey who works with the island’s own law
Property questions in Jersey run through a legal system that is separate from England and Wales. Tell us what you are facing and we match you with a practitioner whose work covers Jersey property and tax matters. Matching is free and carries no obligation.
- Jersey law, not English law
- Advocates with rights of audience in every Jersey court
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A separate jurisdiction needs advisers who practise its law
If property taxation in Jersey is on your mind — a conveyance, a holding structure, a question over what is owed — the practical first step is to speak to someone who practises Jersey law itself rather than English law. Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency and a separate legal jurisdiction, and its courts apply a mixture of customary law and legislation passed by the States Assembly. Because Jersey has no general limitation statute, prescription periods have to be identified claim by claim, which is precisely the kind of detail a property tax lawyer in Jersey checks early. Tell us what is happening and we match you, free of charge, with a specialist whose practice covers Jersey property and tax matters, across Saint Helier, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement and Saint Saviour.
Jersey in practice
How property-related legal work actually runs in Jersey
Jersey is not a common law jurisdiction in the English sense, and its courts are not bound by English decisions. The points below set out how the island’s system, courts and practitioners work, so you know what to expect before you instruct anyone.
A jurisdiction of its own
Jersey is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, separate from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Its law derives originally from the laws, customs and procedures of the Duchy of Normandy, later supplemented by Norman, French and Jersey writers, by judgments of the Royal Court, and by legislation passed by the States Assembly. Customary law was progressively modified by English common law and modern French civil law influences.
Where property matters are heard
The Royal Court is the principal and oldest court and sits in several formations. The Samedi Division deals with conveyances of immovable property and related transactions. Jurats, who are lay judges appointed by an Electoral College of the States, sit alongside the Bailiff or Deputy Bailiff and decide questions of fact in the Inferior Number.
Who is entitled to act for you
Jersey has a divided profession. Advocates have rights of audience before every court on the island, including the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal. Jersey solicitors, also called écrivains, have only limited rights of audience and instruct advocates for contested court work. Both must be ordinary members of The Law Society of Jersey.
No single limitation statute
Jersey has no Limitation Act imposing harmonised periods across civil claims. Prescription periods must be identified claim by claim from customary law, case law and individual enactments; the ten years for contract and the three years for tort are established by the courts. Identifying the correct period, and any standstill agreement, is a recurring issue in Jersey litigation.
Property, trusts and succession
Jersey is a leading trust jurisdiction, and the Trusts (Jersey) Law 1984 sets its own prescription regime for breach of trust claims: an absolute twenty-one-year longstop from the breach alongside the ordinary three-year period, and no prescription at all where the trustee was party or privy to fraud or where trust property is being recovered.
What advice and representation cost
Professional fees of advocates and solicitors are not fixed by law or by any official scale; they are a matter of agreement between lawyer and client, and firms publish their own hourly rates. Court fees are fixed by the Stamp Duties and Fees (Jersey) Law 1998, and where a costs order is made the successful party’s costs are taxed by the Judicial Greffe.
Key time limit — Property & Real Estate Law
Residential tenancy: notice to end a tenancy — At the end of an initial term, at least 3 months by the landlord and 1 month by the tenant; for a periodic tenancy without reason, 1 year by the landlord and 1 month by the tenant; for a stated reason, 3 or 6 months, and as little as 1 month or 7 days for specified breaches. Landlord and tenant disputes are among the matters heard by the Petty Debts Court.
All figures and procedural details on this page are drawn from official Jersey sources, including the Courts of Jersey, Jersey Law and the Legal Aid Office, as published at the date of writing.
Why it is easy to go wrong
Three things that catch clients out in Jersey
The island’s system differs from England and Wales in ways that matter from the very first step.
Advice built on the wrong jurisdiction
Jersey is a separate jurisdiction. Its courts are not bound by English decisions, although English authorities are treated as persuasive, so assumptions imported from England can miss the point entirely.
Deadlines with no single statute behind them
There is no Limitation Act in Jersey. Prescription periods come from customary law, case law and individual enactments, so the deadline for your matter has to be identified claim by claim rather than looked up in one place.
Instructions given to the wrong lawyer
Only advocates and solicitors of the Royal Court may practise Jersey law, and the profession is divided. A lawyer who practises only foreign law in Jersey is not regulated by The Law Society of Jersey.
How we help
What matching with us gives you
We do not advise you and we do not promise outcomes. We put you in front of the right practitioner and let you decide.
Practitioners of Jersey law
We match you with advocates and solicitors who are members of The Law Society of Jersey and whose practice covers property and tax matters on the island.
A clear view of the process
Before you commit, you can understand how the Royal Court, the Samedi Division, the Petty Debts Court and the appeal route to the Privy Council fit together.
Free and without obligation
Explaining your situation costs nothing. There is no charge for being introduced to a specialist, and no one is instructed until you say so.
You describe it once
Tell us what is happening with your property tax matter in one short request, and we look for practitioners whose work actually covers it.
Other jurisdictions
Looking for help elsewhere in Europe?
We also match clients with practitioners in other European jurisdictions, each with its own courts, procedures and deadlines.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can a property tax lawyer in Jersey also advise on English law?
It depends on the individual practitioner and firm. Jersey is a separate jurisdiction whose courts apply Jersey law, and its courts are not bound by English decisions, although English authorities are treated as persuasive. If your matter touches England as well, tell us when you make your request so we look for a practice that covers both.
Which Jersey court deals with property transactions?
Conveyances of immovable property and related transactions are dealt with by the Samedi Division of the Royal Court. The Royal Court is the principal and oldest court on the island and also hears appeals from the lower courts. Civil appeals from it lie to the Jersey Court of Appeal.
Does Jersey have the same limitation periods as England and Wales?
No. Jersey has no general limitation statute of the English kind. Prescription periods are found in a mixture of customary law, case law and individual enactments, so the applicable period has to be identified matter by matter. The ten years for contract actions and the three years for tort are established by the courts.
Do I need an advocate or a solicitor in Jersey?
Jersey has a divided profession. Advocates have rights of audience before every court on the island, including the Royal Court and the Court of Appeal, and conduct the great majority of advocacy there. Jersey solicitors, or écrivains, have only limited rights of audience and instruct advocates for contested court work.
How much does a Jersey lawyer cost?
Professional fees of advocates and solicitors are not fixed by law or by an official scale. They are a matter of agreement between lawyer and client, and firms publish their own hourly rates. Court fees are fixed by the Stamp Duties and Fees (Jersey) Law 1998, and where the court orders costs, the successful party’s costs are taxed by the Judicial Greffe.
Is legal aid available for a property matter in Jersey?
Civil legal aid is means-tested and, other than in criminal matters, is generally available only to people living in Jersey. Applicants normally need to have been resident for at least twelve months and registered with Social Security, and must satisfy a financial means test and a merits test. Current thresholds are published by the Legal Aid Office.
Next step
Tell us about your Jersey property tax matter
Describe your situation in a few lines and we will look for a practitioner whose work covers it. Matching is free, there is no obligation, and you choose whether to instruct anyone at all.