Chancel Repair Liability Insurance

What is Chancel Repair Liability?

Chancel Repair Liability is a law dating back to medieval times when the country was under the reign of Henry VIII. Chancel Repair Liability was the monarch’s decision to dissolve the monasteries when he made himself the supreme head of the Church of England in 1534 and he imposed that churches were to be maintained by wealthy land owners. Before then, many monasteries employed a rector who was responsible for repairing the Churches.

Since then, the large estates of land have been broken down and developed into multiple private residences however, Chancel Repair Liability in many instances has been passed down to the new properties. This law benefits around 5,200 pre-reformation churches in England and Wales and Under the Land Registration Act 1925, Chancel Repair Liability is classified as an overriding interest in registered land, this means Chancel Repair Liability still exists without the land being registered.

What happens if my property has Chancel Repair Liability?

Chancel Repair Liability can mean that property owners could be liable to pay for repairs to the local churches with bills potentially running into tens or even hundreds of thousands of pounds. Some vicars call it a godsend but it has been known that a Chancel Repair has cost one couple over £200,000 towards the upkeep of their parish church. These homeowners are called lay rectors.

What can I do if my property has Chancel Repair Liability?

It is estimated that Chancel land accounts for 40% of all land in England and Wales but there’s no single central register which can be used to identify all Chancel Repair Liabilities. NLIS can provide a Chancel Repair Liability Report known as a Chancel Check or Chancel Repair Liability Insurance. Chancel Repair Liability Insurance can be ordered on properties which have been identified with Chancel Repair Liability or properties that have not had a Chancel Check Report carried out therefore the result is unknown.