Inheriting Property?

You may at some point in your life be fortunate enough to inherit property in Jersey. Great, easy-peasy, just hand over the keys and I'll be on my way. Actually it's not quite that simple.

In Jersey there are two ways to inherit immovable property (land and houses): either you are left them in a will or you inherit as an heir. Either way there are some important considerations you should be aware of, particularly if the will includes life enjoyment or time-limited enjoyment granted to a third party.

The following example demonstrates some of the issues involved:

Imagine your favourite uncle has passed away, leaving you his rather smart farmhouse complete with orchard and a couple of acres. You cannot move in to the place because he has also given enjoyment of it to his mother-in-law, Delores. This sort of arrangement is often granted as life enjoyment, but in our example let's say that she has been granted enjoyment for just five years. You may or may not know