Reviewing a film location agreement

A location agreement lets a production bring a crew, equipment and vehicles onto someone's property for a period and film there, and gives the production the right to use what it films for ever. For the owner, the risk is damage, disruption and liability to the public; for the production, it is losing the location, the dates or the right to use the footage. I review the agreement from whichever side instructs me and return it marked up with a written explanation of the changes and which ones the other side will accept, for a fixed fee of £495 in three working days.

Who this is for

Owners and occupiers of business premises, shops, offices, farms, estates, venues and homes in England and Wales approached by a production, and film, television, commercial and photographic production companies and location agencies contracting with them. Both parties contract as businesses; a private homeowner may be a consumer, which affects the fairness of the production's terms.

What to look for in a film location agreement

Access: dates, hours, areas and what comes with the crew

The agreement should specify the dates and hours of the recce, the prep, the shoot and the strike, the areas of the property in use, the number of crew and vehicles, parking, power and water, and what the production may alter or remove. The review checks the production's right to extend or change dates, which should need consent and a further fee, the owner's right to continue its own business, and the return of the property to its condition at the start.

The fee, overtime, cancellation and weather

The fee should be stated per day with overtime rates, a separate rate for prep and strike days, and a deposit. The review checks the production's cancellation rights, which should carry a cancellation fee that rises as the date approaches, and its right to postpone for weather or cast availability, which should be limited and paid for. Cancellation charges must reflect the owner's legitimate interest to be enforceable, applying Cavendish Square Holding BV v Makdessi [2015] UKSC 67, and the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 applies to fees a production pays late.

Damage, reinstatement and the schedule of condition

The production should be responsible for all damage to the property, fixtures, grounds and contents caused by its activities, and should reinstate or pay for reinstatement. The review asks for a schedule of condition with photographs agreed at the start, a walk-through at the end, a period within which the owner may notify damage, and a deposit or a retention against reinstatement, and checks that the production's liability is not capped at the fee.

Insurance, liability to the public and health and safety

The owner remains the occupier and owes the common duty of care to visitors under the Occupiers' Liability Act 1957, so the production should indemnify the owner for injury to crew, cast and the public arising from the filming, carry public liability insurance and employer's liability insurance at stated levels, and produce the certificates before access. The production also owes duties to those affected by its work under section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, and the review checks that risk assessments, stunts, special effects, drones and the use of vehicles are the production's responsibility.

Planning, neighbours, noise and permissions

Temporary use of land for commercial film-making is permitted development within the limits of Part 4 of Schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, subject to conditions and prior approval, and use outside those limits needs planning permission. Noise, lighting and generators at night can be a statutory nuisance under section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The review checks that the production is responsible for permissions, road closures, notices to neighbours and any conditions the local authority or a landlord imposes, and that the owner's own lease or mortgage allows the use.

Rights in the footage, the property's name and the owner's own images

The production owns the copyright in what it films under section 11 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 and will require the owner to grant the right to use the footage in all media in perpetuity and to waive any claim. The review checks that the owner's name, signage and trade marks may be used only with consent, since use of a registered mark needs a licence under section 28 of the Trade Marks Act 1994, that the property will not be portrayed in a way the owner would object to, that individuals filmed on the premises have given their own consent, and that the owner keeps the right to use behind-the-scenes photographs it takes itself.

What it costs

Standard review, £495. Marked-up document and a written explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the contract review page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• Your own contract returned with my amendments as tracked changes, plus a clean version with every change accepted, ready to send to the other side
• Comments in the document where a point needs explaining
• A written explanation of what I have changed and why, by email or as an attachment if it is lengthy, marking the points I would hold firm on and the ones that are negotiable
• A view on what is normal market practice and what is the other side pushing their luck
• One round of follow-up questions by email, included

What is not included

• Negotiating directly with the other side, which I quote separately once I know who is on the other side. Where the other side is willing to share a live document, I can work in that document directly
• Drafting a replacement contract from scratch
• Advice on the law of any jurisdiction other than England and Wales
• Tax, accounting or regulatory advice
• Disputes about a contract that is already signed

Questions I am often asked

The production wants to use footage of our premises in any way for ever. Can we limit that?

You can limit the use of your name, signage and marks, and require that the premises are not identified or portrayed in a way that damages your business, while granting the production the perpetual right it needs to exploit the film. The review drafts the grant on that basis.

Who pays if the crew damages our floor or grounds?

The production should, and the review makes sure the agreement says so without a cap at the fee. It asks for a schedule of condition at the start, a walk-through at the end, a notification period and a deposit or retention, so that the damage is recorded and paid for.

Do we need planning permission to allow filming?

Temporary commercial filming can be permitted development within the limits in the General Permitted Development Order, subject to conditions and prior approval. The review checks that the production takes responsibility for permissions, notices and neighbours, and that your own lease or mortgage does not prohibit the use.

Related guidance and services

• Contract review, £495, the service this page describes
• Terms and conditions drafting, £995
• Reviewing an exhibition space contract

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.