Glossary · UK
What is Chancel Repair Liability?
A historic obligation that can require some property owners to contribute to the cost of repairing the chancel of a parish church.
Full Definition
Chancel repair liability is an ancient legal obligation under which the owner of certain land, originally former rectorial or glebe land, can be required to pay towards repairing the chancel (the area around the altar) of the local parish church. It can attach to ordinary residential and commercial property without the owner realising. Since a 2003 House of Lords case confirmed the liability remains enforceable, it has been a recognised conveyancing risk. Following land registration reforms, a parochial church council generally had to register the liability against affected titles by October 2013 to bind a buyer who purchases for value; unregistered liabilities can still bind existing owners and may be registered later in some circumstances. Conveyancers routinely carry out a chancel check search and often recommend inexpensive chancel repair indemnity insurance to cover the risk. It matters because a liability, though now less common, can in principle be substantial and is easily overlooked when buying a home.