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Form T384 UK: Light Obstruction Notice Explained

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Part ofUK Court & Tribunal Forms

Written by Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)
Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice.
Updated June 2026 · England & Wales
If you own land in England or Wales and are worried that a neighbouring property might acquire a right to light across it over time, Form T384 is the mechanism the law gives you to stop the clock. Registered under the Rights of Light Act 1959, this notice has the legal effect of treating your land as if you had put up a tall, opaque structure on the boundary, without you having to build anything at all. It is a quiet but powerful planning and property tool, used by developers, landowners and estate managers to preserve future development options. This guide explains what the form does, when it makes sense to use one, and what you should think about before submitting it to your local authority.

What this document is

Form T384 is the application form used to register a Light Obstruction Notice with the local authority under section 2 of the Rights of Light Act 1959. In plain terms, a neighbouring building can, over a long period of uninterrupted enjoyment of daylight through a defined aperture such as a window, build up a legal right to that light across your land.

Once that right exists, it becomes much harder for you to develop or build upwards without risking an injunction or paying compensation. A Light Obstruction Notice is a paper substitute for actually erecting a hoarding on your boundary. When registered, it is treated as though a notional screen of stated dimensions has been put in place, which interrupts the period of enjoyment and prevents the right from crystallising.

The form itself asks you to identify the land, describe your interest in it, attach a plan showing the boundary and the notional obstruction, and confirm service arrangements. Before registration, the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) must usually issue a certificate confirming that adequate notice has been given to those affected.

How to use this document

  1. Confirm this is the right tool for your situation. A Light Obstruction Notice is only useful where a neighbouring building's windows might, in time, acquire a right to light across your land. If a right has already been established, registering a notice now may not help, and different remedies come into play. Think carefully about timing before spending money on an application.
  2. Gather details of the land and your interest in it. You will need the full address, title details and a clear description of your legal interest, whether freehold, leasehold or otherwise. The form requires you to set out your standing to apply, so make sure your property records, title plan and any relevant leases are to hand before you start filling anything in.
  3. Prepare a plan showing the notional obstruction. The application must be accompanied by a plan identifying the land and showing the position, dimensions and height of the notional structure that the notice is to represent. The plan needs to be clear enough for the registering authority and any affected neighbour to understand exactly what is being notionally obstructed and from where.
  4. Apply to the Upper Tribunal for a certificate. Before the local authority will register the notice, you normally need a certificate from the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) confirming that adequate notice of the application has been given to everyone whose interests may be affected. This step exists to give neighbours a fair chance to know what is happening and respond if they wish.
  5. Submit the completed Form T384 to the local authority. Once you have the tribunal's certificate, send the completed form, the plan and the certificate to the local authority as registering body, together with any fee payable. Keep copies of everything, and diarise the registration date, as the notice has a limited lifespan and its effect is time sensitive.

Common questions

If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £89.

Common questions

Q Who would typically use a Light Obstruction Notice?
They are most often used by landowners and developers who want to keep future building options open on a plot of land, particularly where nearby buildings have windows facing the site. Registering a notice can stop long use from ripening into a legal right to light. It is a preventative move, usually taken on professional input, rather than something a typical homeowner will need day to day.
Q Does registering the notice involve physically building anything?
No. That is the whole point of the 1959 Act. Before it came in, landowners sometimes erected actual hoardings on boundaries to interrupt light. The Act allows a paper notice to have the same legal effect as a notional opaque structure of stated height and position, so no physical construction or disruption on site is required for the interruption to count.
Q How long does the notice remain effective?
A registered Light Obstruction Notice is time limited. Once registered, it is treated as the notional obstruction for a set period, and after that period ends the effect falls away. Timing matters, because the purpose is to break a continuous period of enjoyment. You should plan around the expiry date and take further steps if the underlying issue has not gone away.
Q Do the neighbours get told about the application?
Yes. The scheme is built around giving affected parties a chance to know and respond. The Upper Tribunal's role is to be satisfied that adequate notice has been given before issuing a certificate that allows the local authority to register the notice. Neighbours who disagree can take their own legal steps, which is one reason these applications are rarely low key.
Q What happens if a neighbour already has an established right to light?
If a right has already been acquired, for example through a long period of uninterrupted enjoyment or by an express grant, a Light Obstruction Notice will not retrospectively remove it. In that situation, different options come into play, such as negotiating a release, obtaining insurance, or seeking specialist input on whether any development can still go ahead safely.
Q Is there a fee for registering the notice?
Yes, both the Upper Tribunal and the local authority will usually charge fees, and you should check current amounts directly with them before applying. Costs can also include surveyor and legal input to prepare the plan and advise on timing. Because the stakes often involve future development value, most applicants treat the fees as a modest cost of protecting a much larger interest.
Q Can I complete Form T384 myself without professional input?
Technically yes, but in practice most people take professional input, because the plan, the tribunal step and the timing all need to be right for the notice to do its job. Small errors in the description of the land, the notional structure or the service of notice can undermine the whole application. A short conversation at the outset often saves much bigger problems later.
If you're dealing with this kind of situation, speak to an experienced legal adviser who can walk you through it — from £89.

Sources

This guide is based on primary UK law and official guidance.

Brad Askew, Solicitor (non-practising)

Written & reviewed by

Brad Askew Solicitor (non-practising)

Brad is on the roll of solicitors of England & Wales but does not hold a practising certificate and does not provide legal advice. LegalDocuments.co.uk is not a law firm and does not provide regulated legal advice.

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Legal disclaimer
This article is for general information only. It is a tool to help you find your way — not legal advice, and not a substitute for speaking to a qualified adviser about your situation.