Carl Parslow, Partner at Parslows Jersey, says he cannot understand why account payments or online payment facilities cannot be arranged to speed up the process.
The Advocate says that the changes will affect all home buyers and sellers, estate agents and anyone else involved in the property market.
He explained that conveyances used to be processed in less than four to five weeks from instruction, but that under Planning’s new procedure they could take up to eight weeks.
This is because the Planning Department, which used to process applications under five working days, have now said they will require a cheque, which can take up to five days to clear, and will then take at least a further 10 working days to process the application and provide a reply.
Mr Parslow explained in a blog post on the law firm website that property lawyers acting for purchasers are required to issue a request to the Jersey Planning department on the property in question “to check historic planning and building applications.”
In an attempt to find a solution to maintain the time frame of around four to five weeks, Parslows Jersey have asked Jersey Planning if property lawyers could set up payments on account or use online payment facilities, but were told it is not possible. Mr Parslow says that now all Jersey property lawyers “are left with no option but to make payment by cheque.”
Mr Parslow said: “Whilst perceived as a minor amendment, the butterfly effect of this decision by Jersey Planning will be that this new procedure will impact on the overall timings which Jersey consumers have grown to expect when buying or selling property.”
He added: “As to Jersey Government, it beggars belief that you promote Jersey as an internationally recognisable centre for digital industries but one of your own departments cannot even organise something as straightforward as payments on account and or the use online payment facilities.”
Mr Parslow’s blog can be read in full here.