Local land charges search

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Local land charges

• What's it all about?
• Official Local Land Charge Searches
• Water Searches - Severn Trent
• Fees
• What about CON 29 Questions?
• How to request a search
• Our Commitment to you
• Online Searches

Anchor Point:AboutWhat's it all about?

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.

You can also carry out a personal search, although this does not give all the detail of a full Land Charges Search.

Anchor Point:searchesOfficial Local Land Charge Searches

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.

The Law Society encourages people to use official searches. Personal searches are less detailed and should only be used when time is limited.

You should ask your solicitor to confirm an official search has been carried out and ask to see the Certificate of Official Search.

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 and environmental histories of the property and various notices affecting the property.

With the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) from 1st August 2007, a new CON29 (2007 Edition) form is now in use. The new CON29 comprises Required and Optional parts and now customers can submit Optional questions individually if required. Each part is a standalone product that can be ordered separately. Clients who wish to discover all relevant information may still submit both parts together, though they do not have to be submitted at the same time. The new Question 22 on the CON29 Optional form is designed for common land enquiries, but for a temporary period DEFRA has decided to retain the existing CR21 form. Please contact the local land charges department if you would like further clarification about the difference between Question 22 and the CR21 form.

You need to provide us with:

A cheque from the solicitor's bank account. Cheques from clients cannot be accepted. See below for prices. The full address (or plot number and location) 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).

Anchor Point:waterWater Searches

Severn Trent Water looks after public sewers in Solihull. If you want to search their records, please contact them direct at http://www.severntrentsearches.com/ or Tel: 0115 962 7269.

See also: Help and advice on highway drainage, land drainage or private drainage .

Anchor Point:FeesFees

Searches submitted online, through the National Land Information Service (NILS), are available at a reduced price. Currently this is only available to Conveyancing Professionals. See below.

Anchor Point:CON 29What about CON 29 questions?

The following information can only be found using the CON 29 form, it will not be in the registers:

• Compulsory Purchase Orders
• Proposed Tree Preservation Orders
• Informal planning and highways notices
• Road proposals or schemes (including road widening)
• Proposed enforcement action or breach of conditions notices

If you use a personal search, you will not be able to obtain the above information or ask us any questions about the issues above. Any information your solicitor does obtain will not be covered the compensation for loss section of the Local Land Charges Act 1975.

Anchor Point:requestHow to request a search

There are full instructions on the Local Land Charge Search forms. Your solicitor will have these forms or you can buy them from law stationers.

Anchor Point:commitmentOur 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.

Anchor Point:onlineSubmitting searches online.

The National land Information Service (NLIS) allows Conveyancing Professionals (including Solicitors) to submit Land Charges Searches online. We provide a reduced price service for searches submitted by NLIS. In time, this service will be open to other companies and the general public.

Three companies have been licensed by the Government to provide access to NILS:

NLIS Searchflow

Tel: 0870 755 9950

Fax: 0870 990 9949

http://www.searchflow.co.uk/

searchflow@searchflow.co.uk

TM NLIS Search

Tel: 0800 068 1272

Fax: 0870 741 0426

http://www.tmproperty.co.uk/

info@tmproperty.co.uk

Transaction Online

Tel: 0800 085 4951

Fax: 01753 214 599

http://www.transaction-online.co.uk/

support@transaction-online.co.uk

Anchor Point:contactdetailsContact Details

For more information on Local Land Charges phone the Local Land Charges office.

Telephone: 0121 704 6013/6014

Email landcharges@solihull.gov.uk