Right to Light Surveyors — London, Surrey & Sussex
Specialist rights of light advice for developers and neighbouring owners — quantifying risk, steering design, and negotiating fair settlements.
Right to light, quantified
Right to light is a legal easement that sits entirely outside the planning system — a neighbour with a valid right can hold up a fully consented scheme and, in the worst cases, force costly redesign, damages or even demolition. We quantify that risk precisely so you can make confident decisions before you commit.
Using precise 3D laser scanning, modelling and specialist Waldram analysis, we identify every potential impact on neighbouring rights, value the risk on each affected interest, and set out a clear strategy — including design steering to keep your scheme buildable. For the legal background, see our plain-English guide to right to light.
How we help developers
Feasibility & risk appraisal
3D scanning & Waldram analysis
Safe envelope modelling
Design steering
Risk valuation
Insurance & release strategy
Affected by a neighbouring development?
If a proposed development next door will block light to your windows, your right to light may be infringed — and unless you raise it, it can be lost. We act for property owners across London, Surrey and Sussex to secure fair compensation for the loss of light, and where appropriate advise on injunctions.
Natural light matters — whether in central London or a countryside cottage — and we have decades of experience negotiating settlements that reflect its true value.
How an assessment works
Clear, staged and evidence-led — with direct access to your surveyor throughout.
1. Feasibility
2. Survey & scan
3. Waldram analysis
4. Strategy & report
Why planning permission isn't enough
Planning permission does not protect you from a right to light claim — the two operate in entirely separate legal systems. The courts can award substantial damages or, in serious cases, an injunction.
- Prescription Act 1832 — a window that has received uninterrupted light for 20 years acquires an enforceable right.
- The Waldram method is the accepted industry standard, confirmed in Cooper v Ludgate House [2025] (Bankside Yards), where the court awarded negotiating damages of £500,000 and £350,000.
- Injunctions remain a real risk — in HKRUK v Heaney [2010] the court ordered the removal of completed floors of a finished building.
Your key contact
Talk to a right to light specialist
Every scheme and every dispute is different. Speak directly to a chartered surveyor who will assess your position, explain your options in plain English, and be available to talk through the findings — no call centres, no hand-offs.
Ben Salvage MRICS C.Build E MCABE
Director | Chartered Building Surveyor
t: 07515 441 468
e: ben.salvage@blackacresurveyors.com
Frequently asked questions
No. Planning permission and right to light are separate legal systems. You can hold full planning approval and still face a successful claim from a neighbour whose right to light is infringed — planning deals with public interest, right to light is a private easement.
Under the Prescription Act 1832, a window that has received uninterrupted natural light for 20 continuous years acquires a right that is “absolute and indefeasible.” The 20 years belong to the window, not the occupant, so it doesn’t reset when a property changes hands.
It applies to windows and defined openings in buildings — never to gardens, patios or open land. But it does apply to side windows, which is where many residential disputes begin, because the gap between houses is narrower.
Surveyors use the Waldram method to calculate how much sky is visible from inside a room. A room is generally considered adequately lit if at least 50% of its area receives a 0.2% sky factor — the “grumble point” below which occupants notice inadequate light.
The court can award financial compensation or, in serious cases, order an injunction to alter or remove the offending building. In Cooper v Ludgate House [2025] the court awarded negotiating damages of £500,000 and £350,000; in HKRUK v Heaney [2010] it ordered removal of completed floors.
It depends on the size and complexity of the scheme and the stage you are at, from an early feasibility study to a full Waldram analysis and safe-envelope model. We quote each instruction individually, so you only pay for the scope you need.
Related services: daylight & sunlight surveys, 3D laser scanning, drone surveys and party wall advice.
Planning a development, or worried about losing light?
Talk to our RICS-regulated right to light surveyors. We work across London, Surrey and Sussex, quantifying risk for developers and securing fair settlements for neighbouring owners.
London: 107–111 Fleet Street, London EC4A 2AB · Sussex: Curtis House, 34 Third Avenue, Hove BN3 2PD