Many consumers are still unfamiliar with the conveyancing process and in particular the different searches available. The introduction of Home Information Packs (HIPs) raises the profile of searches and more and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of using a fully electronic service such as NLIS.

What is a Local Authority Search?

All Local Authorities in England and Wales hold and maintain a Local Land Charges Register. These registers have been in existence since 1925 and were originally created to ensure that land purchasers were not caught out by obligations that were enforceable against successive owners by Local Authorities under various pieces of legislation.

Today there are 12 discrete parts to the Local Land Charges Register, which contains a range of information, from the removal of human remains to the removal of light coming through your window. A search of this Register can be carried out by submitting a request using form LLC1.

The Register details locally binding obligations on a property or piece of land. It does not, however, reveal matters that are pending. That is where the second of three types of LA Register and enquiry searches comes into play, this search is known as the CON29 Enquiries of the Local Authority.

CON29

The CON29 report comes in the form of a questionnaire and was originated by solicitors to enable them to advise their clients on matters on the local land charges register, which may be pending. Over the years, the information supplied has grown to cover items not destined for the Local Land Charges Register. Answers to this questionnaire have proven invaluable during the conveyancing process. For instance, homebuyers may discover future parking restrictions, plans to build major roads or potentially contaminated land near their chosen home - see our press release about things to look out for in the country and in urban areas.

Together, the search of the register and the CON29 questionnaire are commonly referred to as the local search and enquiries. The HIPs Regulations 2007 refer to these as the search report.

Finally, there is the personal search. This can be undertaken by any member of the public on payment of a fee, although it is a search most widely used by private search firms. Personal searchers attend the offices of the relevant Local Authority and, upon payment of the prescribed fee, currently £11, they can see the Local Land Charge Register entries for the piece of land or specific property they are wishing to search against.

At present there is no personal search equivalent for the whole of the CON29 as defined by the Home Information Pack Regulations 2007.

Search information

To find out what search information is available from an NLIS Channel please visit out search information page.

 

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