indemnity policy for chancel repair liability

Grimbal

Evening all,

I'm in the process of selling my house, and have just been informed that my property is in an area which continues to have a "potential chancel repair liability".

I've been asked to confirm that I would be happy to purchase an indemnity policy for this.

Now, I'm intrigued that they have written it as potential chancel liability repair, rather than that I am liable for chancel repair. However, what I'm more interested in is the rather more pragmatic approach of just agreeing to the purchase of the indemnity policy to keep the sale running smoothly.

Does anyone have any idea how much such an indemnity policy would cost please ?

Many thanks

Liz

mouse10

We had to have one as we were in a potential chancel area. Our solicitor got 3 quotes, the cheapest which we went for was about £150.

DVardysShadow

Search this section of the forums for threads with the word chancel in the title. Some relevant discussions.

You should not attempt to push from potential chancel liability to actual chancel liability. If you do, then you will not be eligible to purchase indemnity insurance - and if your buyers ask you the question, you will have to declare it. Or if they don't ask you the question but tell you to buy insurance, you will have to communicate to them that you can't and they must without moving your lips.

Grimbal

Many thanks to both of you. I've searched the forums & come to the conclusion that it's all a bit like Schrodinger's cat: you don't know what the position is until you look into it, at which point the act of looking will change the outcome !

I think that I'll pay up to hopefully ease the selling process. Irks somewhat as I'm paying insurance to insure the buyers and not me, but so be it if necessary.

Mouse10 - could I possibly ask you where you ended up purchasing the insurance from?


p.s. am trying to "thank" you both, but button playing up

southerngirl_2

Hi Liz

I received this information with the results from my chancel search.

http://www.clsl.co.uk/contentmanagement/page.aspx?pageid=254&dropcase=1#pn2ab470e4_8bb0_4277_8010_ce5b5578b33b

http://www.clsl.co.uk/contentmanagement/Page.aspx?PageID=288&Parent=ChancelSure%20FAQs

Hope this helps.

DVardysShadow

Grimbal wrote: »

Many thanks to both of you. I've searched the forums & come to the conclusion that it's all a bit like Schrodinger's cat: you don't know what the position is until you look into it, at which point the act of looking will change the outcome !

Exactly! That is such a succinct analogy of the position.

iolanthe07

The whole chancel repair liability thing came to light over one very unjust case, and the legal and insurance professions have been milking it ever since. You are very, very unlikely to need it, and after 2013 it will, thankfully, become obsolete.

rosyw

iolanthe07 wrote: »

The whole chancel repair liability thing came to light over one very unjust case, and the legal and insurance professions have been milking it ever since. You are very, very unlikely to need it, and after 2013 it will, thankfully, become obsolete.

Which is why, when my solicitor recommended it, I declined! why would anyone take out a 25 year policy, which most seem to be, when you probably don't need it at all? someone's on a nice little earner

firstaspect

It's not far from a scam for extra money. I spoke to the vicar at the local church when I moved here and he said even if you are in an area where you might have to pay then apart from in 1 Or 2 exceptional cases no church would ever make the public pay.

poppysarah

iolanthe07 wrote: »

You are very, very unlikely to need it, and after 2013 it will, thankfully, become obsolete.

What happens in 2013?

Grimbal

September 2013 is when the church can't register an interest in further land liable for chancel repair