Finding accommodation for when you first arrive
Before signing any housing contracts with landlords or estate agents, you'll need to get a registration card which shows your residential and employment status, from the Customer Hub at Union Street.
Many people arrange short-term accommodation whilst they look for something longer term.
Hotels or guest houses are a good choice in the short term. You should try to book in advance to avoid any chance of not finding suitable accommodation within your budget.
List of hotels and guest houses on the Visit Jersey website.
Research accommodation options
The kind of accommodation you’re allowed to live in depends on your residential and employment status, which will be stated on your registration card.
Residential and employment statuses and what they mean
Most people who move to Jersey for the first time will have a residential and employment status of ‘Registered’.
As a ‘Registered’ person you’re allowed to live in:
- registered lodging accommodation
- registered flats or apartments
- private lodging
- tourist accommodation (short stay and out of season eg hotels, guesthouses, self-catering units)
Housing for people with 'Registered' status
Anyone who is ‘Entitled’ can occupy any property. If you're ‘Licensed’, you can occupy most properties, except first-time buyer restricted and social rented housing and you can only have one property as your main place of residence.
Lodging accommodation
As a ‘Registered’ person you can live in lodging accommodation. You must show
your registration card and photo ID to your landlord.
If you live in a self-contained unit (which contains a living and sleeping area, kitchen and bathroom) you should have a lease agreement.
If your facilities are shared, then you don’t need a registration card and you are not deemed to be a tenant. This means that you don’t have the same rights as a tenant, for example in relation to notice periods.
Housing for people with ‘Registered’ status page
Private lodgings
Private lodgings are where the person providing your accommodation lives in the same property. That person can have up to five lodgers (including children of any age).
Private lodgings are not the same as registered lodging accommodation (lodging houses). With private lodgings, there’s no lease or contract between you and the person providing you with the accommodation. This is because, by law, the person providing the private lodgings to you must:
- have 'Entitled' or `Licensed’ residential and employment status and also live in the property as their sole or main place of residence
- offer you (and each of their lodgers) a service such as cleaning
- maintain the right to unrestricted access to the accommodation at all times
- be allowed to ask you to leave the accommodation without giving you notice
The person providing the accommodation to you must not ask you to sign a lease or enter into any kind of legal contract.
Finding property to rent
You’ll typically have to undergo several checks, including proving your earnings and obtaining supporting references. You may be asked to pay a deposit, which is generally the equivalent of one month’s rent. These deposits are protected by law under the
deposit protection scheme.
For those looking to rent properties in Jersey, often the easiest way is through a rental / letting agency. Letting agents act on behalf of landlords when vetting potential tenants.
Find a list of estate agents in Jersey.
Alternatively you can contact owners directly. You may be able to negotiate a better rate directly with the owner as they don’t have to factor in rental agent fees. Owners sometimes advertise their properties in the local newspaper, local Facebook groups and on websites such as
JT Insight.
Buying property
Most people moving to Jersey for the first time won’t be able to buy a property. You can only buy a property in Jersey if your residential and employment status is ‘Entitled’ (you’ve lived in Jersey for a continuous period of at least 10 years and have not left for more than a total of 5 years) or ‘Licensed’ (you are an approved essential employee in the island).
Residential statuses
Property prices in Jersey can be high compared with a lot of other countries. Based on the latest available figures from 2022, an average 1 bedroom flat costs around £361,000 and a 3 bedroom house costs around £886,000.
Only Jersey mortgages can be used to purchase property in the island. You can’t transfer your mortgage from a property you own elsewhere.
gov.je