Chancel repair liability

Chancel repair liability is a legal obligation on a small number of property owners in England and Wales to pay for certain repairs to a church, often the local parish church.

Where people purchase property within land that was once rectorial (part of a rectory or glebe), they may acquire a responsibility to fund repairs to the chancel of the medieval-founded Church of England parish church or Church in Wales church which that glebe land supported. This can still be invoked by the church council of some parishes.[1]

It is common practice for purchasers of land to check whether the local parish includes a church where such a liability may apply, and if so to take out chancel liability insurance.[2][3]

  1. ^ Chancel Repairs Act 1932 s.1, s.2
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference cc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference PLP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).