Your Guide to Local Land Charge Searches
A Local Land Charges Search is required to inform a purchaser of the existence of obligations or 'charges', enforceable against successive owners by local authorities, or central government.
A 'charge' describes a burden imposed on land with which successive owners or occupiers of land and/or property must comply. The charges detailed on the Local Land Charges Register would not normally be disclosed by looking at the title deeds or inspecting the land or property itself. Local Land Charges may be of financial or non-financial nature.
This service is not to be confused with the District Land Registry. If your enquiry relates to ownership of land you should direct yourself to the Peterborough District Land Registry at the address shown below.
The Local Land Charges Register consists of twelve parts. The following are examples of the types of information or 'charges' that might be found on the Local Land Charges Register:
Financial Charges: detailing amounts of money that are due to the Local Authority, usually these amounts have been incurred as a result of works carried out by the Council in default.
Conservation Areas: These areas have been designated by the authority as areas containing special architectural or historic interest. Obviously it is desirable to preserve or enhance these areas.
This designation gives additional controls over new buildings or demolition works. The Conservation Area designation also helps to protect trees. Therefore before carrying out any works to trees within a Conservation Area contact the Planning Office for advice.
Smoke Control Orders Only certain approved types of fuel can be used in Smoke Control Areas e.g. smokeless coal.
In addition to the registrable items revealed on the Local Land Charges Register a potential purchaser will also wish to know of any notices about to be served on the property which will become binding upon any new purchaser upon completion.
To cover these important but non-registrable items the questionnaire form CON29R is available.
On 1 August 2007 the new CON29R( 2007 edition) was introduced. The CON29R contains Required enquiries and the CON29O contains Optional Enquiries. Customers can now submit Optional enquiries individually, if required. Each part is a stand alone product that can be ordered seperately.
There will be an administration fee of £15.00 if one or more Optional enquiries are individually raised
For Information relating to Common Land, please submit CON29O - Optional Enquiry 22. This information is not held or maintained by this Authority. The enquiry will be referred to Essex County Council who will reply to you direct. The fee for this enquiry is £14.00 or £29.00 (inc admin fee) if requested seperately from an official search request.
Additional Enquiries should be clearly typed on an additional sheet of paper and attached to the original search. Questions must be clear. The Council cannot answer enquiries such as 'in the vicinity' or 'likely to affect the enjoyment' because they are too vague. Remember to include the necessary fee (£20.00) for each enquiry.
Information about other roads, footpaths etc (Box C). These roads on must be clearly identified in Box C and marked on the plan. Please note that replies will only be given for roads which abut the search area. Any other additional highway infomation may be obtained by writing to: The HIghway Records Manager, The Mouchel Group, Victoria House, 105-107 Victoria Road Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1JR
When submitting a 'Local Land Charges Requisition for Search' you should include forms LLC1 and CON29 in duplicate (these forms are obtainable from Solicitors or Law Stationers). You should also send a cheque made payable to 'Epping Forest District Council' for the correct fee. If you have a plan of the premises send us two copies outlining the relevant area clearly in red. We do not usually require them for numbered residential premises - but we will always need two plans in the case of land, sub-divided premises, named premises or industrial sites with the area outlined as described above.
Epping Forest District Council has received the above guidance document and is currently in the process of interpreting its contents.
The Council is not obliged to follow the guidance of the ICO on this issue, as it is not statutory and we have chosen not to follow this guidance at this time pending legal opinion which the LGA is seeking on behalf of the sector.
While we seek such guidance, property search information will of course remain available to search companies under our existing access and charging regime under the Local Authorities (
Current Arrangements
Local Land Charges have undertaken a costing exercise in compliance with The Local Authorities (England) (Charges for Property Searches) Regulations 2008 and are now able to provide access to the information required to complete the CON29R enquiries ehich are not held on public registers, on a cost recovery basis.
There will be no change to the existing arrangement to book an appointment to view the LLC Register only. Local Land Charges will undertake up to a maximum of twelve (12) Personal Searches each morning (subject to staff availability and demand) and offer appointments at the following times: 9.30am, 10.00am, 10.30am, 11.00am and 11.30am Monday to Friday.
Except in special circumstances appointments will not be offered during the afternoon
The appointment must be booked with Local Land Charges by telephone only giving at least 24 hours notice and will be offered on a "first come, first served" basis. The Local Land Charges section do not accept any appointments made via email or fax.
A plan clearly showing the exact search area clearly edged in red, must be emailed to: contactllc@eppingforestdc.gov.uk. directly after booking the search.
Failure to provide an adequate plan may result in the appointment being cancelled. The Search will only be carried out on the area shown edged red on the plan regardless of the address given at the time of booking
A copy of any relevant Local Land Charge registrations affecting the search address will be shown to the agent whose responsibility it is to make a note of this information. If copies of the registration sheets are required, they may be obtained by submitting an LLC1 form together with the fee of £23.50
An appointment booking system has been introduced to view the LLC Register and also obtain the replies to some, or all of the chargeable CON29R information.
Appointments will be offered between 9.30am and 11.30am and must be booked by telephone only with the Local Land Charges section. Appointments made via email only will not be accepted. Appointments will be offered on a "first come, first served" basis.
At the time of booking please state exactly which CON29R enquiries are required, failure to do so may result in the incorrect information being obtained. A fee will be charged for any additional work that has been carried out and is subsequently not required.
This information, together with a plan showing the exact search area clearly edged in red, must be emailed to: contactllc@eppingforestdc.gov.uk. directly after booking the search. Failure to provide an adequate plan may result in the appointment being cancelled.
The Local Land Charges section will obtain the replies to the relevant enquiries from the other departments and these replies will be shown to the agent when they attend their appointment. It remains the responsibility of the agent to make a note of any information that is made available as copies will not be provided,
To allow sufficient time for Local Land Charges to obtain the replies to the requested CON 29R enquiries from the other departments the new appointment booking system as detailed below should be followed:
| DAY BOOKING APPOINTMENT FOR A PERSONAL SEARCH AND RELEVANT CON29 INFORMATION | EARLIEST DAY YOU CAN ATTEND FOR YOUR PERSONAL SEARCH |
| NO LATER THAN 11.30AM ON MONDAY | FROM THE FOLLOWING FRIDAY |
| NO LATER THAN 11.30AM ON TUESDAY | FROM THE FOLLOWING MONDAY |
| NO LATER THAN 11.30AM ON WEDNESDAY | FROM THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY |
| NO LATER THAN 11.30AM ON THURSDAY | FROM THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY |
| NO LATER THAN 11.30 ON FRIDAY | FROMTHE FOLLOWING THURSDAY |
The above appointment arrangements only relate if some or all of the chargeable CON29R enquiries are requested and may be subject to change when a Bank Holiday occurs.
For further information relating to the breakdown of fees for compiled CON29R unrefined data, please click here or see Search Fees & Charges
In all cases the Local Land Charges section must be notified as soon as possible if an appointment cannot be kept. If an agent arrives late without prior notice, we reserve the right to cancel the appointment
CON 29R INFORMATION HELD ON PUBLIC REGISTERS may be viewed during normal office hours, subject to staff availability from the relevant departments within Epping Forest District Council. Please contact the relevant department to make an appointment to view this information. No fee will be charged for access to this information.
As from 3 December 2007 information relating to the Highways enquiries should be obtained from The Mouchel Group, Victoria House, 105-107 Victoria Road Chelmsford, Essex CM1 1JR.
Highway information for Personal Searches will only be available by making an appointment with Mouchel direct. For further information, please contact The Mouchel Group - Highway Records on 01245 247000.
With regard to drainage enquiries, please refer to Thames Water direct.
If you have any comments on the service provided by Local Land Charges or require any further information please email contactllc@eppingforestdc.gov.uk
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