Chancel Repair Liability dates back to medieval times, when Churches (or more specifically their Chancel's were maintained by wealthy land owners, since medieval times what used to be large estates of land have now been broken down in to many thousands of privately owned properties, yet the potential for Chancel Repair Liabilities has been passed down to successive owners of the land or buildings.

Thankfully these archaic laws are changing, and once October 2013 has passed, unless the Church has expressed a specific interest in your property (by noting their interest with the inland revenue) you, or your property will no longer be at risk, on the flip side however this does of course mean that there is an increased risk of Churches investigating potential liabilties for properties within their parishes. Somehow however i get the feeling that Churches are unlikely to take action against large estates of properties, preferring (perhaps) instead to target 'easier' prey in lesser numbers, its the basic rule of hunting....