Local Land Charges
- Local Land Charge Searches
- Submitting Searches
- Fees
- Our Commitment to you
- Drainage Searches - Severn Trent
- High Speed Rail Link
- Publicly Available Information
- Personal Searches
- Contact Us
Local Land Charge Searches
The purpose of a Land Charges Search is to find out information which may affect a piece of land or a property.
When you buy a house, your solicitor will search our records to ensure there are no issues of concern, such as plans for a motorway at the bottom of your garden or outstanding Notices requiring you to remedy an earlier wrong doing.
We carry out official searches, covered by the Local Land Charges Act 1975, and will give full replies to official LLC1 and CON29 enquiries.
Information provided in response to a search with enquiries, is controlled by law and standard questions agreed between the Law Society (who regulate solicitors) and Local Councils.
You should ensure that an official search has been carried out and ask to see the Certificate of Official Search.
You can also carry out a personal search (see below).
The search will be in two parts:
LLC1 - The Official Certificate of Search Form
This deals with all the charges registered against the property by us, e.g. improvement grants, tree preservation orders, conservation areas, smoke control, noise abatement orders and planning applications that have been approved with conditions (from August 1977).
CON29 - The Enquiries of Local Authorities Form
This deals with issues such as road schemes, planning, environmental histories and various notices affecting the property.
The CON29 comprises Required and Optional parts, and now customers can request Optional bundles (see attachment). Question 22 on the CON29 Optional form is designed for common land enquiries.
Submitting searches
Online
We are now able to take payment over the telephone for Local Authority Search requests, using either a debit or credit card. Please submit search requests electronically to landcharges@solihull.gov.uk and then telephone to make your payment. (Tel. 0121 704 6013/6014).The search results will be returned electronically.
Searches can also be sent and paid for electronically via the following sites:
By Post
You will need to submit:
- A completed LLC1 and/or CON29R CON29O, (you can obtain these forms from your solicitor or law stationers).
- A cheque made payable to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (see below for fees),
- The full address (or plot number and location) and two plans (based on Ordnance Survey maps) showing the boundary of the property/land clearly edged in red.
- The return address for the search results (write in the space on form LLC1).
- Search results can be returned electronically if requested.
Fees
The Local Authorities (Charges for Property Searches) regulations 2008 came into force on 23rd December 2008. The key changes are that local authorities must now provide access to all information required to complete a property search and local authorities are permitted to charge for this data.
The revised service offers a choice of a Basic and Compiled version of the Con29R and also new bundles of Compiled Data. All searches are priced differently for Domestic and Commercial enquiries.
The new fees for a full compiled search are:
- Residential: £138.25
- Commercial £150.00
- LLC1 only: £22.00
Fees for Con 29 Optional questions are:
- Question 4: £25.25
- Questions 5 to 21 £16.00
- Question 22 (CLVG) £14.50
Please see attachments for further details of the Full List of Fee Information and Request Forms for Personal Searches.
Our Commitment to You
We will return all official searches, within 10 working days. However, we aim to return searches:
- For Domestic Properties - 5 working days from receiving to posting.
- For Commercial Properties/Land - 8 working days from receiving to posting.
Drainage Searches
Severn Trent Water looks after public sewers in Solihull. If you want to search their records, please contact them direct at Severn Trent or Tel: 0115 971 3550.
High Speed Rail Link
On Thursday 11 March 2010 the Government announced a proposal for a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham.
The preferred route runs through the gap between Kenilworth and Coventry and then through the Borough north of Balsall Common and Hampton in Arden and east of the M42. A new interchange station is proposed to serve BIA and NEC before the route continues north and the turns west into Birmingham city centre.
Formal consultation by the Department of Transport is programmed for the coming autumn. Consultation on a hardship scheme to compensate those affected by blight was also launched on the 11 March 2010. Further details are available at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/highspeedrail for the command paper. The Department of Transport enquiry line can be contacted on 020 7944 4908.
Publicly Available Information
See attachment of Full List of Fee Information
Personal search
Amendment to the Local Land Charges Rules 1977 – Personal Search Fee :
The Government has concluded that charging a fee for a personal search of the local land charges register is incompatible with the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR) and the underlying 2003 EU Directive. Following this conclusion the Government has revoked the £22 fee by amending the Local Land Charges Rules 1977. The amendment came into force on 17th August 2010, in light of this decision, Solihull MBC has ceased to charge this fee with effect from 10th August.
A personal search is a check of the Local Land Charges Register.
With effect from 1 June 2009, Solihull offers a choice of a Basic and Compiled version of the Con29R and also new bundles of Compiled Data. All searches are priced differently for Domestic and Commercial enquiries.
Bundles of data can be requested (see Full List of Fee Information attachment for details of how bundles are priced). The Request Form must be completed, showing clearly what data is required and the total price payable
To view the Local Land Charges Register you must make an appointment. Please ring 0121 704 6013/6014. Our opening times, for viewing the register are:
| Day | Open | Close |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 10am | 3.30pm |
| Tuesday | 10am | 3.30pm |
| Wednesday | 10am | 3.30pm |
| Thursday | 10am | 3.30pm |
| Friday | 10am | 3pm |
Before your appointment you will need to submit, by email or by fax, the following:
- Confirmation of appointment time and the addresses of the properties to be searched on.
- A site plan.
- A personal search request form must be completed when requesting bundle data.
See attachments for Personal Search Request Form, List of fees and details of how the information can be supplied.
At your allocated appointment time, please go to Orchard House Reception, Council House, in Solihull Town Centre. The appropriate fee will need to be made on arrival by cash or cheque prior to viewing the land charges register.
Please note, copies of the register cannot be given, any personal searcher must make their own notes.
If you need more detailed information, you need to request an official search.
Contact Details
For more information on Local Land Charges contact the Local Land Charges office
Local Land Charges
Council House
Solihull
West Midlands
B91 9TX
Telephone: 0121 704 6013/6014
Email: landcharges@solihull.gov.uk