Developing a commercial building that infringes someone’s right to light could result in significant financial damages. Worse still, your development could be reduced in height or size or even face demolition.
Property development can be a high-risk business, so it makes sense to choose an insurance broker who knows how to protect your valuable work.
That’s why you may need a custom-made rights to light insurance policy. Not many insurance brokers can deliver that. We can.
Design an insurance policy as unique as your business.
The Bletchley Group delivers tailored insurance solutions to a selection of valued, unique clients who demand the very best.
Our knowledgeable team of insurance experts are experienced in providing protection for landowners and developers against rights to light risks.
We’ll spend time with you or your appointed surveyor, solicitor or lawyer to understand the complex risks you face and advise you of how best to manage them.
We know that you don’t have time to exhaust the market, which is where we come in.
We enjoy long-standing relationships with the UK’s leading insurers, which means that we can obtain correct cover within a policy that’s made to suit you.
As we’re a fully independent insurance broker, you can rest assured that we’ll always deliver products that protect your interests, not our own. We get it right, because we care.
- First class customer service
- Insurance broking specialists that understand rights to light
- Bespoke insurance policies built around your business
- Dedicated claims team to assist you when you need us
- Maximum return on your investment, with minimal hassle
Find the rights to light insurance cover for you.
We know that developers, investors, surveyors, lawyers and consultants scrutinise every step of the planning and building process, but issues can still arise.
Failing to consider someone’s rights to light may leave you financially and legally exposed.
Rights to light insurance is very specialised and requires an expert broker to tailor a policy to your business’ specific needs.
But there’s no need to worry. Our specialist team of chartered professionals is here to guide you through the process and help you to select the right cover for you.
You can be sure of receiving a high-standard insurance service you won’t have experienced before.
Want to know more?
Take a look at some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about our rights to light insurance products.
- What is ‘rights to light’?
A ‘right to light’ is an easement that gives a landowner the right to receive light through defined apertures in buildings on his or her land. The owner of land that is burdened by the right cannot substantially interfere with it (e.g. by erecting a building in a way that blocks the light) without the consent of the benefiting owner. Rights to light apply to all properties which have received natural daylight for more than 20 years.
- Why take out a rights to light insurance policy?
A rights to light insurance policy can offer you protection from the risk of a claim on a specific development, where there is an obstruction or reduction of a neighbour’s rights of light. Where contractually required, rights to light insurance policies can cover legal expenses, professional fees, amendment of plans if an injunction is granted, demolition costs and potential loss of profit due to delays. Taking out cover is common, especially in built-up areas – it is estimated that approximately 90% of London developments are insured.
- What if I don’t have a rights to light insurance policy before work starts?
You may not need to take out rights to light insurance if you have undertaken a rights to light report and negotiated and obtained deeds of release with all affected parties. Should you be required to start work on site but have not yet either initiated or completed these negotiations, we recommend that you source a bespoke right to light insurance package.
- How likely is a legal injunction?
Recent decisions by the High Court have highlighted the legal system’s increasing willingness to award an injunction against developers, rather than simply compensating the injured parties. It is now more crucial than ever to address rights to lights constraints before commencing any development to avoid the risk of costly litigation, substantial damages or scaling back parts of a developed property.
- Do you offer other legal indemnity insurance cover?
Yes. We deliver a wide range of legal indemnity insurance policies for clients, including defective title, judicial review, missing deeds and breach of restrictive covenant. For more information, please click here.
- Is a bespoke insurance policy more expensive than a standard product?
Tailoring a package of insurance solutions to your needs does not necessarily mean that you will have to pay more than you do now. The most important thing is that the cover is right for your specific business circumstances.
