I am buying 20 acres of agricultural land and a search has turned up a covenant placed on it by the Church Commissioners. We don’t know what it relates to, and I have been advised to take out an indemnity policy to guard against future problems. Should we search further and risk uncovering bad news or let sleeping dogs lie?
It’s unlikely you’ll be able to insure against future problems unless you make further inquiries: the insurers will want to know what the risks are. If you obtain a printout of the entry in the Land Charges Register you should send it to the Church Commissioners and ask what the covenant entails. If the Commissioners have no record of the covenant you then have the option of indemnity insurance. The cost of this will be a matter for negotiation.