What is a Search?

Why do we need a search?

Local Land Charges is the department in the council that responds to requests for a Local Authority Search. The services provided by us were started over 70 years ago to protect people who were buying land and property so that they, or future owners, were not caught out by obligations or charges the local authority could enforce, such as:

• Planning agreements
  
• Enforcement notices
  
• Improvement grants
  
• Highway agreements
  
• Tree preservation orders
  
• Statutory listed buildings

Local Authorities have a statutory duty to register these obligations or charges.

A Local Land Charge search is a vital step in the conveyancing process when land or property is bought and sold.

An official search is processed and guaranteed by the Council and we endeavour to meet the needs of our customers by providing accurate, up to date information in as short a time as possible. A personal search is processed by private individuals/companies and is not guaranteed by the Council. They obtain the necessary information by inspecting public registers maintained by the Council.

We, therefore, advise you to ask your solicitor, licensed conveyancer or mortgage lender, which is the best type of search for you as there are two ways of carrying out a search: in writing (official search) or in person (personal search). There is a fee for an official search. Following the revocation of the statutory fee for a personal search of the Land Charges Register, the Council makes no charge to personal searchers.

What the Search does and does not include

The search only relates to the property being searched against and no other. If you require information about another property, your solicitor can ask additional questions for which there is an additional fee.

The search is done in two parts:

• The search of the local land charges registers (LLC1)
• A list of questions, covering such things as highway improvements within 200 metres, the planning history of the property and environmental health notices. (CON29)

|Any drainage enquiries should be referred to Thames Water Utilities, Blake House, Manor Farm Road, Reading, RG2 0JN, however, Ordnance Survey Sheets showing the positions of public foul and surface water sewers are available for public inspection in the Environmental Health Division, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD

Any additional Highway enquiries should be referred to Surrey County Council Highways Department, SCC Depot (Lab Building), Merrow Lane, Guildford, GU24 7BQ. Telephone Number: 0208 541 8922/8924.