Chancel repair indemnity policy

Toomuchtooyoung01 · 2021-08-05T15:47:39+00:00

Our buyers solicitors have just asked if we would be willing to pay for this. Apparently it’s in case something happens to the church about a mile and a half away and the buyer was asked to contribute towards repairs? Can we say no to this?!

PuzzledObserver · 05/08/2021 16:53

Of course you can say No. How much do they want your house, and is it worth the cost of the premium to let the sale fall through over it?

I am the buyer in this scenario - our solicitor advised us to take out a policy, so we did - never occurred to us to ask the seller to pay for it!

Did you buy such a policy when you bought the house?

catndogslife · 05/08/2021 16:54

What does your solicitor say you should do?
How much would the policy cost?
We had such a policy when we bought a house fairly recently and it was only approx £30 which didn't seem much to pay to us.

catndogslife · 05/08/2021 16:55

We were the buyers and we paid by the way (in case that's unclear).

Majkali · 05/08/2021 16:56

I've paid for this in a previous property, it was around £30 I think. Not worth losing a sale for really if yours is also such a small amount.

purplesequins · 05/08/2021 17:00

check that church if it's eligible for chancel repair.
only a very limited number of churches are affected.

Original poster

Toomuchtooyoung01 · 05/08/2021 17:02

Our solicitor advised it would be “in the region of £80” and asked if we would like to offer to pay for our buyers to have this? I have emailed back and said we feel it would be their responsibility to pay for, but obviously if it was a deal breaker then we would swallow it.

OP posts:

Original poster

Toomuchtooyoung01 · 05/08/2021 17:02

@purplesequins Apparently the searches are back and this church still has this in place

OP posts:

MaggieFS · 05/08/2021 17:03

If it's still in place then it's essential. I'd do what you've done. Say no, but if turns out to be a deal breaker, just pay it.

VickyEadieofThigh · 05/08/2021 17:04

We were advised, when we bought our previous house, to get this policy for ourselves. It's a 'one off' and accompanies the property when you sell. I'm surprised you weren't advised to get one when you bought (though if it was quite a long time ago, this issue wasn't rearing its head).

Cost us about £30.

GeidiPrimes · 05/08/2021 17:05

Might as well agree to it, it won't cost much. Paid £50 for mine 8 years ago.

purplesequins · 05/08/2021 17:05

in that case go for indemnity! a new roof after someone has stolen the lead can be expensive.

myusernamewastakenbyme · 05/08/2021 17:07

Ive just sold my house and had to pay 3 indemnity policies for various things.. .windows not having a fensa certificate....boiler and my property had a flying freehold...total cost £186....i thought it was very reasonable.

Chipsahoy · 05/08/2021 17:17

They are taking the piss with that cost. They cost around £15. I did them at work all of the time. They are not allowed to charge you more than the rrp

Sparklesocks · 05/08/2021 17:19

That cost seems really high. We bought a few months ago and had the same, but it only cost us about £22.

HippeePrincess · 05/08/2021 17:20

I bought one purchasing my first home and I paid under that price for an indefinite policy which went on with the house for all future owners, this was about 12 years ago.

Summerbubbles · 05/08/2021 17:26

We had to have one of these when we bought our house (about 15 years ago) I can't remember who paid but I remember it was £14

DynamoKev · 05/08/2021 17:54

@myusernamewastakenbyme

Ive just sold my house and had to pay 3 indemnity policies for various things.. .windows not having a fensa certificate....boiler and my property had a flying freehold...total cost £186....i thought it was very reasonable.

What is the boiler one for? I googled and it doesn't cover repairs or replacement of the boiler but not clear what it does cover

myusernamewastakenbyme · 05/08/2021 19:24

@DynamoKev im not sure....we were so close to exchanging contracts i agreed to pay it as i didn't want to hold up the sale any longer...my buyers paid way over asking price so i don't feel too cheated.

maddening · 05/08/2021 19:30

I thought there were some parishes where this is a legal requirement?

WorkingItOutAsIGo · 05/08/2021 19:33

I’ve always paid as the buyer. Shouldn’t cost that much.

nokidshere · 05/08/2021 19:36

I've never had one of these but does every mew purchaser of the house have to buy it? I would have thought one would last the life of the house?

nokidshere · 05/08/2021 19:36

Mew = New

CraftyGin · 05/08/2021 19:37

Chancel repair liability expired several years ago.

DepressedDD · 05/08/2021 19:38

@myusernamewastakenbyme

Ive just sold my house and had to pay 3 indemnity policies for various things.. .windows not having a fensa certificate....boiler and my property had a flying freehold...total cost £186....i thought it was very reasonable.

I always think the flying freehold one is a scam. I sold a house years ago and was told to buy an indemnity for this and did. Still annoyed I didn’t argue it. The house was over 100 years old, every terrace in town is built the same. The neighbours were hardly going to refuse me access as I could equally have then refused them access.

I hadn’t had one bought for me three years earlier when I bought the house but at some point these indemnity policies seem to have become a money making industry.

Next house I sold they tried to get me to buy a policy for not having building reg sign off for removal of a chimney breast which for all anyone knew had been removed 70 years before. Again I hadn’t had one bought for me a couple of years before when I’d bought the house. I told their solicitor point blank no with that one and sale went ahead no issue.

CraftyGin · 05/08/2021 19:39

new roof after someone has stolen the lead can be expensive.

Never part of chancel repair.