Unusual indemnity policy

[Difficultyear2015]

We are in the process of buying an end of terrace house. All ready to exchange and have just been emailed across a copy of an indemnity policy taken out in November 2016.

I am not too sure if its unusual and something to query or if its pretty standard.

The known risk on the policy is as follows:

Chancel Repair (Successor)

The church or parochial authorities enforce an overriding

interest requiring the Insured to pay for chancel repairs to a

parish church.

First Title can provide cover for the risk if all the assumptions

mentioned below are satisfied:

 The Land is an existing residential dwelling with

ancillary land not exceeding three acres in size and

will continue to be used as such.

 There is no liability for chancel repair on the

registered title as at Policy Date or on any

unregistered title and in relation to the latter you will

have a clear index map search as at Policy Date.

 Prior to Policy Date no payments or demands for

chancel repairs have been paid or received by the

owners of the Land.

 No full chancel repair search has been made against

the Land requiring the same to be disclosed to Land

Registry upon application for registration as an

overriding interest.

 There has been no approach to the church or

parochial authorities regarding the liability.

I am assuming that this would affect all houses in the local area?

It seems strange to me as there is no church nearby and the policy doesn't state which church that has enforced this.

It would be the parish church for the area. The property is indemnified against the risk of there being a chancel repair liability and presumably the vendors have paid for it? Therefore you are covered.