Hiring out your location?

Before you agree to a location hire, you should find out the following information about the production:

• Access: clarify exactly which areas the production can use and for how long and times. This will be shoot days as well as set up time (prep days) and take down time (strike days)
• Size of crew: cast and crew sizes can vary enormously, so consider whether your location has enough capacity. It could be a small shoot with a crew of ten, or a large shoot with eighty people. 
• Insurance: we would always advise that you see the productions public liability insurance.It’s normal for PL insurance to be £10 million, but some smaller productions may be £5 million.
• Nature of production: are you comfortable with the content being filmed in your location? Once you’ve agreed to hire it out, it’s too late to retract at a later date.
• Alterations: check if there will be any alterations to your location. This could range from moving furniture to repainting walls. Make sure everything is ironed out in advance, and that the production agree to reinstate the location to how it was when they arrived.
• Protection: if your floors will need protecting from equipment trolleys or heavy footfall, make sure this is communicated clearly in advance of the shoot.

Once you have made a verbal agreement to hire out your location, you should not change your mind before signing the location agreement. A huge amount of careful planning and coordination goes into organising a shoot, and it can all fall through if a location pulls out. Once you’ve signed a location agreement (see below example), the commitment is final. 

Some essentials to know about …

Location agreement

To protect both your property and the production hiring it, ensure you have a location agreement. The location agreement must be signed before filming takes place.

This agreement contains release clauses, outlining the company’s right to use the images and recordings of your location in their production.  It covers the agreed fee, the duration of filming, including prep/dressing time before the shoot and strike/reinstatement time after the shoot.

Download an example location agreement.

Logistics and people

• Parking: you will be asked about available parking and capacity.
• Neighbours: locations are surrounded by houses and dwellers, therefore anyone that could be affected by the shoot should be informed in advance by the production. For example, neighbours’ doors should be letter-dropped with information about the filming as a matter of courtesy, especially if the shoots may cause any disturbances.
• Community commitment: all professional productions want to have good relations with locations and areas where they film. Larger productions may well offer some financial contribution towards a local cause. 
• Reinstatement: the production will reinstate any changes or cover any damage to the location. Make sure there are clauses about this in the location agreement.