Housing market

Accommodation: Your guide to a complicated system

Beyond the Health and Social Services Department accommodation, the picture is more complex. Since Guernsey is an attractive place to live and is already quite densely populated, there are strict controls on housing purchase and rental - designed to limit the population and protect local buyers.

The island’s properties are classified as either Open Market or Local Market. Those on the Open Market can be occupied by anyone, but are usually too expensive for all but the rich and those on a very high income.

Local Market properties - with prices comparable to those in the south-east of England - is reserved for people with local residetnial status and certain types of licence holders.

The housing licence system allows licence-holders and their families to occupy Local Market property for a limited period - in specific TRP bands, according to their income-level.

The Health and Social Services Department can make licence applications for staff at professional staff, although most junior nursing staff live in The Department’s own accomodation . Licences are valid for a fixed period of 3 or 5 years - although, for more senior roles 15 years may be granted.

One positive note is that all of these regulations apply to Guernsey only. The island of Alderney imposes no restrictions on who may occupy property - making it the easiest of all the Channel Islands on which to buy a house.