Governance
The Bishop’s Council, acting in their capacity as Diocesan Parsonages Board, have delegated responsibility to the Property Working Group to oversee the processes and policy around care for our clergy housing.
The purposes of the Property Working Group are to:
- To review and update operational policies relating to the care, maintenance and usage of clergy housing. Each policy is scheduled for review once per annum.
- Consider any appeals or requests outside of policy from clergy relating to the maintenance and development of their house
- Monitor the usage and occupation of all Diocesan properties, ensuring they are available for ministerial purposes, whilst giving due regard to the importance of income raised from lettings to support the wider diocesan budget.
- Support the Assistant Diocesan Secretary (Operations and Governance) in their management of the housing budget, recommending areas for prioritising expenditure.
- Periodically review the third party housing management contract
- Review on a cyclical basis the property risks contained in the Risk Register and report thereon to the Bishop’s Council
- Report to Finance Committee and Bishop’s Council on operational policies and budget, making recommendations and highlighting issues, opportunities or concerns.
The membership of the Property Working Group is:
- A Chair appointed by the Bishop’s Council
- The Archdeacons of the Diocese
- The Assistant Diocesan Secretary (Operations and Governance) and Diocesan Property Manager are in attendance at the meetings with the Office Services Manager acting as minute secretary to the group
- A representative from Savills will be invited to the meetings as required
- 6 additional members nominated by the BCSC, ensuring an appropriate range of skills and experience are present. Of these:
- two shall be lay persons
- two shall be beneficed clergy persons from the Diocese
- two shall be clergy spouses housed in the Diocese
Process
Quinquennial Inspections
Savills co-ordinate a schedule of Quinquennial Inspections, ensuring each property is inspected every 5 years. A report will be produced giving answers to certain questions required by ecclesiastical law. For more details please see link to Quinquennials and Inspections page.
It is our aim to complete all works recommended in the QI report within the timeframe it stipulates. Any items that are classed as Health & Safety issues will be dealt with as a priority as and when they arise.
Repairs and Improvements
Improvement work may arise between quinquennial inspections which is desirable. Any changes to the fabric of the property must first receive approval from the Diocese, even if they are to be paid for by clergy.
All requests for improvements should be directed to Savills and will be considered via our request for works outside of policy process, balancing both the budgetary constraints of the Diocese with our commitment to clergy wellbeing. More details and how to apply can be found here.
The Diocese may be constrained by budget limitations or consideration of the property’s longer-term use. However, we will be happy to discuss further upon receipt of the request. If all parties agree to the works, Savills will provide instruction as to how to proceed and there will be no compensation payable for any of the works. There may also be a requirement to make good when vacating the property. If any improvement works have been carried out without approval the default position is that the value of the improvement is to be written down to £1 when vacating the property.
Planning Applications
Should you receive any statutory notices or become aware of any planning applications concerning neighbouring properties or that might affect you, you will need to inform Savills; the Diocese will not be made aware of them otherwise. The notice period is only 21 days so it is important that Savills are contacted as soon as the notice is received or a notice appears on an adjacent property.
Savills will investigate the implications of any proposed changes to identify whether they could be detrimental to the present or future occupants of the clergy property. In such circumstances, the Diocese will object.
Restricted Buildings
Some clergy houses are listed as being of architectural or historic interest or lie within a Conservation area. Other properties may lie in areas designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs), Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSE) or National Parks. This restricts freedom to make alterations to either the interior or exterior of the property, including changing external paint colours, altering boundary materials and changing windows/doors.
Clergy in such properties should always consult Savills before carrying out any alterations.
Insurance
Buildings and Contents Insurance
| Buildings insurance covers the structure of your home, including the roof, walls, windows, outbuildings, and fitted kitchens and bathrooms. The Diocese insures its properties against various perils, damage and for public liability. However there is a long list of exclusions for damage (accidental or maliciously intended), and the policy excess is significant. | Contents insurance is the responsibility of the occupant and it is strongly recommended that adequate cover is arranged and reviewed periodically. Contents insurance covers items that you would take with you if you moved, such as carpets, furniture, clothes, and electronics. Carpets are considered contents because they can be rolled up and moved, even though they are often fitted. In contrast, tiles, wood, and laminate floors are usually covered by buildings insurance. You should check your policy to make sure what is and isn’t covered. For example, some comprehensive policies may include accidental damage to carpets as standard, while more basic policies may sell it as an optional extra. |
Liability Insurance
Insurance cover for liabilities is complex. However, in general if injury or damage is caused by something that the Diocese are responsible for, and have been negligent, the Diocese insurance policy could respond. If it is an area that the occupant is responsible for, then the Diocese insurance policy could not be relied upon.
When parish events are held at the clergy occupied premises, we strongly recommend that the responsibilities of each party would need to be clearly stated in a formal agreement to avoid any confusion, accompanied by any necessary risk assessments and parish safeguarding policies. In most cases, the event would need to be covered by the parish insurance policy with contents theft covered by the occupant’s policy.
Insurance Claims
The possibility of a claim should be considered whenever there is damage to a property (e.g. arising from frost, storm, vandalism, leak). Savills should be informed of all circumstances immediately and will make any claim on the diocesan policy.
The occupant shall be responsible for any excess under their Contents Insurance Policy in the event of various events such as damage from storm, flooding, escape of water, falling trees etc. In very limited cases the Diocese or their appointed agents may be responsible for the excess if they have personally damaged the contents themselves or if an act of wilful negligence has caused a major defect in the property.
Diocesan policies have a variety of excesses, and it is not considered worth submitting a claim unless the amount claimed is significantly more than the relevant excess.
If a house is left insufficiently furnished for habitation for more than 30 consecutive days, much of the insurance cover will lapse. If occupants leave a house unoccupied for more than 30 days Savills must be informed to ensure insurance cover is not affected.