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WQ.232/2025
WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE CHIEF MINISTER BY DEPUTY M.B. ANDREWS OF ST. HELIER NORTH QUESTION SUBMITTED ON TUESDAY 27th MAY 2025 ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 3rd JUNE 2025
Question
"Further to comments he has previously made, including in a Facebook post on 21st January 2016, will the Chief Minister advise whether it is his assessment that legislation should be introduced to prevent gazumping' or gazundering' of property purchases and, if so, what consideration, if any, has he given to undertaking consultation on the introduction of pre-sale agreements; and if there has been no such consideration, will he explain why not?"
Answer
I support the principle of measures that ensure smooth and cost-effective property sales, particularly for young islanders who cannot afford to spend extra on fees and charges for transactions that fail at a late stage.
Voluntary measures – such as a decision to enter into a pre-sale agreement – are already available to vendors and purchasers to help mitigate the risk of a transaction falling through.
It is my assessment that the Government has a responsibility to complete an effective impact assessment and consider findings before it applies any new layers or regulation or legislation. However, in light of existing priorities, I would propose that the next Government follows up on this matter.