Information for residents and businesses

Whatever type of property you own - be it a house, flat, pub, restaurant or houseboat - you may be able to make money by registering your property for filming.

Register your property for filming

To register your property for filming you should complete a property registration form(pdf, 29KB). Email this to us along with editable photos of your property (we ask for this because we may need to adjust the colour, brightness or size for our website).

We can then advise you on the suitability of your property for filming.

Take a moment to read through Film London’s recently issued guidelines for owners of private properties(pdf, 19KB) who would like their properties used for filming.

For advice contact us by email at filmrichmond@richmond.gov.uk, or by telephone on 020 8487 5157.

Advice on taking photos of your property

• Use a digital camera and take photos in natural daylight
• Ensure that your property is clean and tidy - the aim is to show your property in its best light
• Only take photos of the rooms that you are prepared to have filming in and take them in the order in which your property would be viewed
• Start with a photo of the front exterior of your property and then work through the property, finishing up with the garden and rear exterior. Finish with any special external features such as a walled garden, swimming pool or interesting outbuildings
• When photographing individual rooms, make sure that your photo is a good representation of the actual room – this may mean taking more than one photo

How we work as agents

Once you have sent us the completed property registration form and photos, we will advise you whether your property is suitable for filming.

If we turn down your property, it will be for a good reason. It may be too small, parking may be difficult or it might be in an area heavily affected by plane or traffic noise.

If your property is suitable we will then email you a contract to sign. The contract will detail what we will do for you, what our charges will be and when we will invoice you.

Why we support filming

We are supportive of filming in the borough and have had a Film office for over 25 years to manage filming enquiries. We invite the positives that this brings but we make also sure we consider the impact on residents and businesses to reduce any negative effects. Filming can raise the profile of the borough within the film and television industry and encourage in visitors keen to see locations featured on screen.

Income is generated by renting out Council owned land and property, by suspending parking bays and issuing parking dispensations to facilitate filming on location. All of this income is then re-invested in our services.

In addition to raising income for us, we also encourage productions to donate to local good causes in conjunction with Ward Councillors. Many different charities, local groups and traders' associations benefit from film-makers' donations with some local groups relying heavily on these donations to fund activities or projects that will benefit the local community. In the last year, we have achieved donations for Church Street Traders' Association, Off The Record, ETNA, Friends of Richmond Green, HANDS, Twickenham Salvation Army and SPEAR to name a few.

Compliments and complaints

We work very hard to try to ensure that all filming that takes place in the borough runs as smoothly as possible.

Filming can be an enjoyable, positive experience, however sometimes it can upset or disturb residents.

Compliments about filming

If you have had a good experience or would like to say thank you to a well-behaved film crew, pass on your comments by email to filmrichmond@richmond.gov.uk.

Complaints about filming

If you have been inconvenienced by a film crew working near your home or office, let us know at filmrichmond@richmond.gov.uk.

We will work quickly to try and resolve any problems and will always get back to you to let you know what action we have taken in response to your complaint.