Right To Light and Daylight & Sunlight Surveyors in Birmingham

At Smith Marston, we are trusted specialists in  Right to Light and Daylight & Sunlight Assessments in Birmingham with projects across the whole of England and Wales.

Our expert team provides tailored advice to support property developers, homeowners, architects, and legal professionals throughout the region.

Our core services are:

• Right to Light Assessments
• Daylight & Sunlight Assessments

With extensive experience in both domestic and commercial projects, we guide clients through complex issues surrounding legal rights to light and daylight & sunlight.

Our assessments follow BRE guidelines to ensure developments are compliant and designed to maximize natural light where possible. We use 3D AutoCad modelling and undertake the complex calculations required to make an assessment of the right to light issues.

Whether you need support with a new development, property extension, or legal dispute, our Birmingham-based experts are here to help. Contact us today to discuss your requirements.

What is a Daylight and Sunlight Assessment?

A daylight and sunlight assessment determines a potential impact on daylight, sunlight and overshadowing on a property caused by a neighbouring development or extension. It is a comprehensive document detailing these findings and may be used for planning purposes to determine how much daylight your proposed property plan will get or how much your development could impact other properties.

Most often, the Birmingham planning authority will request a daylight and sunlight report be completed prior to any work by a development commencing. Our team of daylight and sunlight surveyors in Birmingham have been approached by the developers and homeowners alike to deliver accurate guidance and advice.

Find out how we can assist you with issues relating to daylight and sunlight in Birmingham.

What is a Right To Light Assessment?

Our professional right to light surveyors in Birmingham can conduct a right to light assessment to determine the possible property injury risk. This document details the impact of light concerning the property’s legal rights.

However, only some have a legal right to light. You will normally have a legal right to light if you have enjoyed uninterrupted daylight through a window/glazed door aperture in a property for 20+ years. New build properties may also potentially have rights acquired an express or implied grant.

A right to light injury occurs if less than 50% to 55% of your rooms area (at desk height) can no longer see 0.2% of the sky. Unlike the daylight and sunlight technical document, it applies to every area of the house, not just habitable rooms. It can be caused by a new property development or even a modest extension on a neighbouring property.

Do I need a Right To Light Assessment?

The legal right to light is a specialist area. It is not widely known about by many architects, surveyors and planning professionals. For this reason, you may have a neighbouring development be granted planning permission despite your reservations about the impact on your property.

If you’re concerned about a loss of light to your property, it is time to get a right to light assessment. The earlier, the better, as a detected right to light injury could prevent the build of the approved scheme by use of an injunction, should your case be strong enough.

Unless explicitly communicated, do not assume a right to light assessment has already been conducted. Arrange for your own survey to take place, in which you will receive a report of the findings that you can raise with the relevant developer.

Learn more about how our team of right to light surveyors in Birmingham can help you.

Why choose Smith Marston?

Protect your property in Birmingham with the help of our expert team.

At Smith Marston, we can assist you with issues relating to daylight and sunlight, a legal right to light and boundary disputes. Whether you’re a homeowner or developer, we can offer our guidance to all to ensure all concerns and disputes are handled fairly and accurately.

Get in touch today to find out how we can help.