Finding a building is the easy part. What decides whether a place of worship works is the planning use class, what listed status lets you do inside it, and — since 1 April 2026 — a VAT position on repairs that is materially worse than it was. We establish all three before you sign anything.
Places of worship are Class F1. A vacant shop or office is not a church, and the change of use is a full planning application — not something you can assume.
Listed building consent reaches inside the building. Removing pews, fitting sound and lighting, a baptistry, partitions or a kitchen can all require it, and unauthorised works are a criminal offence.
The VAT refund scheme on listed places of worship ended on 31 March 2026. A repairing lease on a listed church costs materially more than it did, and we will say so before you sign it.
Our fee is paid by the landlord or the vendor. No fee to you, and no fee to your charity.
Capacity, the hours you meet, amplified sound, parking, and whether you need ancillary space for a hall, offices or a nursery. The hours and the sound decide which buildings are realistic.
Use class, listed status and grade, existing planning conditions, the repairing obligation and any covenant on use. Including the ones we think will not work, and why.
Heads of terms, then a clear note of the Charities Act duties and the consents you will need before you spend anything on a fit-out.
Since 1 September 2020, places of worship sit in Class F1. A vacant retail unit or office is in Class E, and moving it to F1 is a change of use requiring a full planning application. There is no permitted development route, and the application will attract conditions and often objections.
Expect conditions on opening hours, amplified sound and parking. These are the terms on which a congregation actually lives, so they are worth negotiating properly at application stage rather than accepting and then applying to vary later.
A great many churches and church halls are listed, and listed building consent covers internal works, not only the exterior. Removing or relocating pews, installing a sound or lighting rig, forming a baptistry, inserting partitions, adding a kitchen or accessible WC — any of these can require consent depending on the grade and what is being affected.
Ecclesiastical exemption removes the need for listed building consent for certain denominations, but only while the building is in use for worship by an exempt denomination. It does not attach to the building and it does not travel to a new occupier. Do not assume it applies to you because it applied to the last congregation.
The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which refunded the VAT on repairs and conservation work, ended on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 that work carries VAT at the standard rate in full, with no refund route.
It has been replaced by a £92 million Places of Worship Renewal Fund spread over four years. That is a different kind of support: a competitive capital grant fund rather than an automatic refund on money you have already spent. Some buildings will do better under it and many will do considerably worse.
The practical consequence is that a full repairing obligation on a listed church is a materially heavier liability than it was earlier this year. If a landlord is offering a repairing lease at a rent set before April, the rent has not caught up with the risk.
Under the Charities Act 2011, as amended by the Charities Act 2022, trustees disposing of an interest in land must obtain and consider a report from a designated adviser and be satisfied the terms are the best that can reasonably be obtained. Acquisitions carry their own duties of care. These are not formalities: a disposal made without them can be challenged.
Separately, watch security of tenure. Faith groups and community organisations routinely sign leases contracted out of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954 without appreciating what it means, then invest heavily in a fit-out and find they have no right to renew. If the lease is contracted out, that should be reflected in the rent and in how much you spend on the building.
Not without planning permission. Shops and offices are Class E; places of worship are Class F1, and moving between them is a change of use requiring a full application. It is often achievable, particularly in secondary retail locations, but it is a process with a timetable and a cost, and it will carry conditions on hours, sound and parking. Do not sign a lease conditional on nothing.
In a listed building, very possibly yes — listed building consent covers internal alterations, not just the outside. Pews are frequently part of what is listed. Sound and lighting rigs, baptistries, partitions and kitchens can all engage consent depending on how they are fixed and what they affect. Works without consent are a criminal offence and you can be made to put it back, so establish the position before the first fixing goes in.
Yes, and recently. The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which refunded VAT on repair and conservation work, ended on 31 March 2026. From 1 April 2026 that work carries the full standard rate with no refund. A £92 million Places of Worship Renewal Fund now operates over four years instead, but it is a competitive grant fund rather than an automatic refund. Budget accordingly, and be careful with full repairing leases priced before the change.
Yes. Trustees disposing of an interest in land must obtain and consider a report from a designated adviser and be satisfied the terms are the best reasonably obtainable, under the Charities Act 2011 as amended. Acquisitions carry duties of care too. We will tell you where those duties bite in the transaction, and your solicitor will confirm the detail.
Sometimes, and rarely simply. You need full planning permission for the change of use from F1, listed building consent where the building is listed, and a resolution of any consecrated ground or burial issues within the title before anything can be built. Restrictive covenants imposed on the original disposal often restrict what the building can be used for afterwards. It is a specialist scheme, not a straightforward conversion, and it should be priced as one.
