Investment property: Guernsey

Updated 6 October 2026

Investment property in Guernsey: shortlisting, legal due diligence and deal support for you.

Guernsey is a Crown Dependency in the English Channel with an unusual housing market structure: it is split into the Local Market, available only to residents with local status, and the Open Market, where anyone can buy. The Open Market is a limited register of properties, generally expensive, and this is the segment relevant to non-residents. The right to live on the island is not tied to purchase alone: for British and Irish citizens, owning an Open Market house makes relocation possible, while citizens of other countries additionally need UK immigration permission. Guernsey's appeal lies in its tax regime: no capital gains tax, no VAT and no inheritance tax. There is no citizenship program through real estate.

We help you work out whether Guernsey solves your problem - usually this is about tax planning and relocation rather than income property. If it does, we select a house on the Open Market register, verify legal title and the property's register status, manage the transaction with local advocates and build the immigration side in parallel, without which the purchase alone will not give you the right to live on the island.

The Open Market and Local Market on Guernsey

Guernsey has two housing markets. Anyone can live in an Open Market property without permits, so this is what foreigners buy. Local Market housing is only for people with a residential qualification, an employment permit or immediate family of a Local Market householder. Time spent living in the Open Market is usually not counted towards a Local Market qualification.

Owner's taxes

• Document duty is paid on purchase on a scale by value.
• Tax on Real Property is paid every year at a tariff by area and category.
• A resident who paid at least £50,000 in document duty on buying a Part A Open Market property can obtain an income tax cap.

How the purchase works

1. Status check. We confirm on what basis you can live on the island: UK and Irish citizens need no separate permission, others need UK immigration status, granted in Guernsey under local rules.
2. Choosing a home. We look at properties inscribed on the Open Market register: only these can be occupied without a residence permit.
3. Legal checks. A local advocate checks title, encumbrances and the property's register category.
4. Completion. The conveyance is passed before the Royal Court of Guernsey, and the buyer pays document duty.
5. Tax and moving. We register with the island's revenue service and, if needed, apply for the income tax cap.

Purchase risks

• Open Market homes are a small and expensive part of the housing stock, so choice is limited;
• Local Market housing is not available to a foreigner without local status, either to buy for occupation or to live in;
• buying does not replace immigration status for non-UK and non-Irish nationals;
• a high-value Open Market home can be slow to sell.

What we do

• Property shortlist for your investment goal
• Legal due diligence on the property
• End-to-end transaction support
• Ownership structuring (company, trust)
• Property management and letting

See also

Company formation · Business account · Personal account

FAQ