Local Land Charges Search
How we provide this service
When you are buying a home you will need to find out information about the property, information such as any planning history, whether it is a listed building or in a conservation area and much more is supported by Planning and Development, Planning.
Your solicitor will apply for a local search to be carried which will reveal all this information so you can be made aware of what is involved with the property you are buying.
It is important to have a search carried out when buying a property as it is designed to protect prospective purchasers by informing them of all the information they need to know about their future property.
There are three ways in which the information can be obtained. Submitting the forms direct the the Local Authority, using a personal search company or searching the registers your self.
There are advantages to all three methods.
Searching the register yourself will certainly save you a little bit of money, but the information you get will not be displayed on the correct forms, or if you have no experience of inspecting the registers it is possible to get misinformed about what information relates to your property or not.
Personal search companies are essentially in direct competition with the local authority, their prices vary from company to company and thus they can be more competitive when it comes to charging for the information. However, many of the companies don't reveal as much information as the Local Authority, such as Building Control information and they currently operate under a system of indemnity insurance in case anything is discovered by you at a later stage that their search did not reveal.
A Local Authority search reveals all the information about your prospective new property that you need to know, information such as planning history back to the beginning of records in 1947, building regulations, highway information, contaminated land information, conservation areas, tree preservation orders and everything else you need to know. Again, prices for a search vary from Local Authority to Local Authority ranging from £75 to £170. At South Holland we charge £115 for a full search submitted to your solicitor on the official legal forms and returned on average within 3 working days.
Obviously with us competing against the personal search companies the information in this website is going to favour a search completed by us at the Local Authority, it is always useful to seek independent advice, perhaps from your solicitor or estate agent or any family or friends who have recently moved, the difficulty you may come across is that the customer, you the homebuyer, is very often completely unaware of who carried out the Local Search.
Please visit our Land Charges web pages for more information.
A search may be requested electronically via NLIS. Contact www.nlis.org.uk for further information.
Fax: 01775 710772
Email: landcharges@sholland.gov.uk
What to do to get this service
Official forms, known as an LLC1 and CON 29, are completed by a solicitor and sent to us together with the correct fee. These are then processed and a completed search is returned to the solicitor within 10 working days.
Who can apply?
Any member of the public but it is usually done through a solicitor.
How much will it cost?
Standard Search Fee - £115.00
Part II Questions - £10.00 each
Own Enquiries - £20.00 each
Expedited Fee - £27.00 in addition to the standard fee
There are basically two parts to a Local Search. The first part is known as the 'basic search' and our current fee is £115. This part of the search asks standard questions such as planning or building control history, any agreements that county highways may have with the owners of the land in question and information from Environmental Health about any possible contamination. The second part is what is known as 'part two enquiries'. Part two enquiries consist of a set number of questions to which any combination may be asked. Each question costs £10 and there are a total of 17 set questions. A solicitor may also ask any number of their own additional questions to which we charge £20 per question. The expedition fee will guarantee the search is returned to the solicitor in three working days.
Anyone can conduct their own search and we charge a total of £11.00 to conduct the initial research and £1.50 per copy of each decision in the Land Charges Register.
How long will I have to wait for a response?
10 working days maximum
3 working days for an expedited search although South Holland Local Land Charges Section currently turn round 99.5% of the searches within 5 working days (not much point in paying the extra £27, is there!!)
Contact Name for this service
Land Charges Section
Links to forms, leaflets and websites providing more information
www.nlis.org.uk
What do I need to provide?
Official forms known as an LLC1 and CON 29. Four copies of a plan showing the property to be searched on clearly outlined and the correct fee.
Alternative Contacts
None
Additional Contacts
None
Common Questions
Q. What is a Local Authority Search?
A. Local Land Charges Registers and searches of them were introduced by the Land Charges Act 1925. Every time a property or piece of land is purchased a request for a search is made, usually by a solicitor. The Local Land Charges Register was designed to ensure that purchasers of land or property were made aware of the existence of obligations or restrictions (known as "charges") which are binding on successive owners of the property or land. A search will identify any matter affecting the property or land which is registered as a Local Land Charge for example Tree Preservation Orders, Conservation Areas, financial charges where the Council is able to recover money owed to it or conditions imposed on the property when planning permission was granted.
Q. How long does a Local Authority search take?
A. A maximum of 10 working days.
Q. How much does a search cost?
A. A basic search costs £115.00, Part II questions cost £10.00 each and your own additional questions cost £20.00.
Q. Do you have an urgent search service?
A. Yes. We can complete your search within 3 working days for an additional fee of £27.00.
Q. How many plans do you require?
A. Four. The boundary of the property or land to be searched on must be clearly marked.
Q. Do you answer drainage enquiries?
A. No. Please contact Geodesys, PO Box 485, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE29 6YB or
DX 123730, Huntingdon 6. Telephone: 01480 323889.
Q. Can I obtain copies of the original planning permissions?
A. Yes. Standard photocopying fees are charged.
Q. Does the Council have information about my legal property boundaries?
A. No. You need to look at your deeds or contact your solicitor.
Q. Do you hold records of land ownership?
A. No. You need to contact HM Land Registry at Earle House, Portland Street, Kingston Upon Hull, HU2 8JN. Telephone: 01482 223244.
Q. Can you tell me if a particular piece of land is owned by the Council?
A. Yes, Please contact Legal and Member Services.
Q. What is the difference between an Official Search and a Personal Search?
A. An Official Search is usually requested by a solicitor acting on your behalf. It will be certified by the Council and the Local Land Charges Act 1975 makes provision for compensation should anything go wrong. The CON 29 form can only be completed by trained staff who have access to the information required. Some of the information includes approved schemes that have not yet been implemented for example highways schemes. A Personal Search can be conducted by any member of the public, or by a Personal Search company, acting on their behalf, by visiting the Council's Offices. An appointment must be made at least 24 hours in advance. A search may be made of the Land Charges Register but it will not include CON 29 information nor will it be certified.
Q. If we need to carry out a search of The Register of Common Land and Town and Village Greens who do we contact?
A. Lincolnshire County Council. Telephone: 01522 552222.
Q. What is the fee for Commercial property searches?
A. We charge the same fee for residential and commercial properties - £115.00.
Printed leaflets available providing more information
None
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Contact Details
If you have any queries about the information provided above, or require further information, please contact Customer Services on 01775 761161 or email info@sholland.gov.uk.
