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Situation
Guernsey is situated approximately 70 miles South of Weymouth and only 20 miles West of the French coast. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands and the East coast enjoys views of Alderney, Herm, Sark and Jersey which are all between 3 and 15 miles away.
The Island is roughly triangular in shape, with an area of 24 square miles and a population of approximately 60,000. It is 350 feet above sea level at the South, falling to sea level at the Northern end. The climate is mild in the winter, while sea breezes rarely allow the summer temperatures to climb above the mid 70's F. The clear Atlantic air and average 7.5 hours of sunshine per day from May to September makes the island a very refreshing and clean place to live.
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| Links with the UK
Guernsey is part of the British Isles by virtue of our links with the Crown going back to William the Conqueror.
We govern our own affairs through our own parliament called the "States of Deliberation", setting our own taxes, customs duties etc., and we have no direct contact with either the U.K. parliament or any U.K. political parties.
We speak English, drive on the left, watch British TV and read British newspapers. Apart from the French house and place names, we could be a small corner of Britain.
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Housing Laws
Guernsey's Housing Laws have developed over the last 40 years or so, and effectively restrict the occupation of the vast majority of homes to people of local birth or connection. These properties are known as Local Market homes. There are just under 1700 properties which are on a register known as the Housing Control Register, and it is only these so called "Open Market" homes which newcomers with UK or EU passports may occupy. There may be between 20 and 120 of these properties for sale at any one time, and with such a restricted supply prices tend to be comparable to those of south-east England. The only exception to these rules is that a small number of housing licences are issued each year allowing non-locals to occupy local market homes by virtue of the essential job they are employed to do e.g. Doctors, teachers and some highly qualified specialists in the finance industry.
Prices of an Open Market property start at around £350,000 for 1 bedroom apartments, £550,000 plus for a 2/3 bedroomed home and can reach as much as £5,000,000 plus for a substantial country farmhouse and £10,000,000 for a top of the range, exclusive home.
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| Taxation
Guernsey has a simple and gentle tax system. Residents pay income tax at a flat rate of 20% and the Island imposes no capital gains tax, value added tax, death duties or similar taxes. To secure this privileged tax status, new residents need to take steps to lose their UK tax residence and domicile status. Proper professional advice is invaluable for individuals seeking to benefit from our favourable tax climate.
More Information
Guernsey is a welcoming island of friendly people and we invite you to visit us to discover our charm and character for yourself. We recognise that moving your home to our island is likely to be a major event in your life, and at Swoffers we will help you in any way that we can to make the transition as simple as possible. We look forward to meeting you soon.
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