Chancel repair liability has the potential to leave property
owners with a large bill to pay towards the upkeep of their local
church. In October 2013, the law relating to chancel repair changed
so that chancel repair liability stopped being an overriding
interest – but what does this mean in practice?
WHAT IS CHANCEL REPAIR LIABILITY?
Chancel repair liability is a financial liability imposed on
landowners. The purpose of the liability is to fund repairs to the
chancel of a medieval church. As the liability first arose in 855
(and has been subject to numerous changes since that date),
attaches to the land and can extend to property situated a long way
from a church, it is extremely difficult to say with any degree of
certainty whether a particular property is affected. Even if you
have a new build and have no idea where the nearest church may be,
there's a risk that you could be asked to pay up. It affects
commercial properties in the same way as residential
