Corporate & Commercial

Ferbrache & Farrell LLP’s corporate department offers full service corporate, banking and commercial cover and is able to advise on all aspects of Guernsey corporate and commercial law, including banking and finance, regulatory, investment funds, asset management and listings on The International Stock Exchange (TISE).

Latest Insight
19 October 2023
News
Excellent client feedback has placed Ferbrache & Farrell in the Chambers & Partners rankings once again. The highly respected legal directory ranks law firms and…
Dispute Resolution

The dispute resolution department at Ferbrache & Farrell LLP has vast experience of local and international litigation and dispute resolution generally, gained from acting in complex local and international high-value disputes, both in Guernsey and throughout the world.

Latest Insight
19 October 2023
News
Excellent client feedback has placed Ferbrache & Farrell in the Chambers & Partners rankings once again. The highly respected legal directory ranks law firms and…
Property

The Guernsey property department is dedicated to providing tailored solutions that meet and exceed clients’ expectations. In addition, the property department provides support to colleagues in the corporate and dispute resolution departments on real estate-related technical points of law.

Latest Insight
19 October 2023
News
Excellent client feedback has placed Ferbrache & Farrell in the Chambers & Partners rankings once again. The highly respected legal directory ranks law firms and…
UK Real Estate

We are delighted to help in relation to providing legal advice for real estate in England and Wales. We listen. We learn what your needs are. We proactively respond. Whether it’s personal or commercial property, we always provide sound and pragmatic advice, adding value to the transaction.

Latest Insight
22 November 2023
News
Chancellor Hunt has today revealed plans for the economy, businesses and consumers. The reaction of property professionals to the Government’s new policy plans was rather…
Private Client

Our services for private client matters include the drafting of realty and personalty wills, obtaining Grants of Probate, acting as professional executors and assisting foreign lawyers who have requirements in this jurisdiction.

Latest Insight
04 October 2023
News
Today sees the release of the Legal 500 United Kingdom 2024 rankings. This is a very important publication in the legal world as it offers…

In June 2020, we looked closely at the Guernsey property market post Covid-19

https://www.ferbrachefarrell.com/insight/2020/the-property-market-post-covid/ 

At that point, we were full of hope that with the guidance from the Director of Public Health and support from our community, we would see an upswing in market activity in the subsequent months. It is fair to say that our expectations have been exceeded.

 

Guernsey property 

As a property practice, we have had an exceptional summer. We have enjoyed the property bounce-back since lockdown, with an increased number of instructions. 

Those instructions have been varied, from million-pound plus properties, to assisting first-time buyers in getting onto the property ladder.

The levels of local market activity have been increasing, and we are yet to see any sign of a slowdown. 

Open market sales still have a little way to catch up, but with the current efforts being made to facilitate safe viewings and allowing potential off-island buyers to travel (without the need for mandatory self-isolation provided their travel is carried out in a controlled environment), we are confident that open market activity will be more buoyant.

 

Property in England and Wales

Similarly in England and Wales, the housing market is enjoying a post-lockdown ‘mini-boom’.

This has been fuelled by the stamp duty ‘holidaymakers’. The window for taking advantage of the Stamp Duty Land Tax cut is currently open until the end of March 2021. Realistically speaking, however, only the properties which are on the market now, or imminently coming to the market, stand the best chance of being snapped up quickly by the flurry of fresh buyers who are keen to capitalise on the SDLT savings. 

Homes throughout England and Wales are coming to market, again creating a noticeable surge in activity. This is propelled further by the change in consumer appetite for properties with a home office, garden and flexible space. The lively property market has been widely welcomed, and is a much-needed stimulant for the post lockdown economy.

What is the shape of things to come?

Working from home and flexibility will continue to be a driving factor in the property search for housing markets in Guernsey and in the UK. 

Additionally, the Guernsey market may further benefit from the overall global perception of being a safe and welcoming place, with a stable economy and first class management from the States of Guernsey in handling the Covid-19 situation.

In England and Wales, remote and flexible working and the SDLT holiday will continue to play a very important role in stimulating the property activity. However, some potential buyers may still be concerned about the resurgence of Covid-19 in the autumn, and may choose to hold back and ride it out until the end of 2020 before committing. For others, the end of the government’s furlough scheme in October could be a concern.

Although it is yet unclear what the ‘new normal’ actually means in property terms (in Guernsey or elsewhere), any activity that makes a positive contribution to the situation is to be welcomed.