Property owners are responsible for negotiating the terms of use for their home and/or private property directly with the production company. The City remains external to these negotiations. We recommend that you ask the production company to provide you with a location agreement so that terms are clear for both yourself and the production. Below is important information to have in writing from a production company.
Key Information
Dates
Make sure you know the actual shooting dates that cast and crew will be present on your property as well as the dates they need to prepare and clean up before and after shooting. Do they need additional time to clean after the shoot? How long will it take to restore the location to the agreed upon conditions?
Insurance
Request to be named as an additional insured on the production company’s certificate of insurance with a cross-liability clause. A copy of the certificate of insurance should then be provided to you prior to the production gaining access to the property for filming.
Parking
Do they have adequate parking on the property, do they plan to use street parking, or both?
Payment
A damage deposit cheque can be requested by a property owner and held until all production activity, including restoration, is completed. Once the inspection with the location manager is completed and everything is satisfactory, the cheque should be returned. Ask for all other payment up front.
Personnel
How many film production staff are involved and will be on your property? Who oversees security? What measures are in place to ensure only authorized personnel are on your property?
Always ensure that only authorized production personnel are permitted on your property.
Property-Alterations
What modifications are they planning to make? Will restoration be needed? Who will be doing the work to restore the property and what are their credentials? Are they using your kitchen and other rooms to feed people on set?
Property-Utilities and Effects
Does the production plan to use your power, a generator, air conditioning, lights, etc.? If so, you should include that cost in the contract.
Do they plan to do any special effects? What are the possible impacts to your property (if any)?
Site Visits
Prior to choosing a location, personnel will typically visit a location at least two times. Once a property has been chosen, there will be follow-up visits. The technical survey may have up to 25 people in attendance and is when location fees are agreed upon, security and other details are discussed, and any rules and regulations for your property need to be communicated clearly. Make sure you know who the designated location representative is as your main point of contact throughout production and outline your expectations regarding communications.
Registering Your Property
If you are interested in registering your property as a possible filming location, please review the guidelines and follow the steps on the Creative BC website.
PLEASE NOTE: The City cannot be involved in any decisions regarding whether to use your private property as a potential film production location. The City also cannot recommend the amount a property owner should be paid. However, the City’s film official can let you know if the production is legitimate and confirm contact information.
