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Legal indemnities aren’t the most straightforward of insurance policies; they're a specialist product, with subtle and complex elements. So when your client has a development or commercial property transaction with a complex title issue, it makes sense to come directly to the experts.

As our focus is on providing unbeatable service directly to property law professionals, we do not deal with brokers. The only way you can obtain a quote from the market leader is to contact Countrywide directly. And thanks to our enviable reputation, we are trusted by commercial property lawyers across the country to provide cover required by:

• major housing developers, service providers and planning promotors on multimillion-pound development sites
• key clients acquiring large, high value commercial premises, including shopping centres, retail parks, supermarkets and large office buildings
• green/clean energy providers on new solar panel sites, wind farms, electric vehicle charging sites and battery storage facilities
• housing associations acquiring or refinancing housing portfolios

Specialist products for commercial and development sites

We specialise in providing legal indemnity cover for development sites (including options to purchase and planning promoter agreements), along with renewable energy sites and secured lending and refinancing projects.

While there are hundreds of varieties of cover that we offer, particularly relevant to this scale of project is our capacity to provide: 

• Pre or post planning covers – for all the usual title defects, we can provide cover either prior to a planning application, or once planning consent has been granted, for issues such as:
• Restrictive covenants
• Access and services/drainage
• Mining/mineral rights
• Outstanding rights
• Adverse possession/Possessory title

• ‘Two-stage’ pre and post planning cover – we have developed a ‘Two-stage’ cover option for the many of the most common risks. By splitting the cost over two stages, the land owner and developer each pay for the stage most relevant to their involvement, at the most appropriate time:
  • Stage one is essentially the ‘pre-planning’ phase and extends up to the grant of planning permission, with a specific policy limit and premium paid at this stage.
  • Stage two takes effect after planning permission has been obtained, with an increased policy limit, reflecting the gross development value, which will result in an additional premium. This option is available for the full range of traditional policies.

• ‘Lift and Shift’ cover – our policy provides cover should any third-party attempt to enforce their rights or easements over the existing services that a developer intends to divert by ‘lift and shift’ arrangements.
• Service Provider cover – suitable for telecommunication, gas or electricity firms that have to dismantle and reallocate installations if the use of service media is prevented at a site. We will cover defence and abortive costs, alongside the lost income from feed-in tariffs.
• Judicial review – our policy covers the costs in responding to or defending a judicial review application, along with delay costs if construction works are prevented by an interim injunction. Should a court order quash the original planning consent altogether, the policy will pick up the expenses incurred in complying with the decision, plus any subsequent loss in market value of the land or property.
• Rights to light – as standard, our policy includes cover for defence and delay costs, compensation payments, and subsequent loss in market value incurred from a party enforcing their rights to light. If required, we also allow negotiations to be undertaken with some affected parties, subject to a pre-agreed compensation budget.

When you come to Countrywide, you’ll benefit from dealing with someone who has the expertise and depth of knowledge to truly understand the complexities of a large-scale development, and who’ll do everything they can to offer you a quote.

We have produced a brochure that provides an overview of the types of policies we can provide our commercial clients, and the service we provide. Give our Business Development team a call on 01603 617617 to request a copy, or email enquiries@cli.co.uk.