| Welcome to the Borough of Broxbourne | What is New | Website Map | Search | Help menu | Complaint procedure | Privacy statement | Online feedback | List Access Keys |

Land Charges

What is a land charge search?

Lady reading a map

When property or land is purchased or leased, part of the conveyancing process will be for a land search to be undertaken. A land search is divided into two parts:

  • part 1: LLC1 form - (Official Certificate of Search)
  • part 2: CON29 form - (Enquiries to the Local Authority)

 

The forms are forwarded to the Council to undertake the search. The LLC1 form is used to search the Register of Local Land Charges and reveals details of any 'charge' (ie. registrations) on the property.

 

For example: tree preservation orders, conservation areas, planning consents and agreements, financial charges, highway agreements, housing grants, enforcement notices and notices served under the public health and building acts are revealed.

The CON29 form deals with two types of enquiries - standard and optional. Standard enquiries reveal information on road proposals (within 200 metres of the site), road maintenance, planning history and outstanding statutory notices. Optional enquiries reveal information on public paths and byways, road proposals by private bodies, environmental and pollution notices.

It is important to note that drainage enquiries are undertaken by Thames Water.

 

Additional information

When carrying out a land search, the information revealed relates to the property or land you are proposing to purchase. It does not give information about adjoining land or properties. If you require further information on the site being searched or the adjoining property or land, you should ask your solicitor to make the relevant enquiry. An additional fee is payable for this service.

 

Personal searches - to carry out a search in person

A personal search of the Local Land Charges Register may be undertaken on payment of the prescribed fee (see Fees and Charges). Please note that no information will be given in writing and therefore it is the responsibility of the person inspecting the Register to make their own notes. Please also note that this is not a full search and may be not be acceptable to mortgage lenders.  As from 6 April 2009 following the availability of access to the Council's property records by personal searches, a scale of fees and charges has been prepared.  See link to Fees and CON29R Order Form together with Information note for those wishing to access the Council's property records in person.

 

Fees and charges - as from 1 January 2010

LLC/CON 29 (Full Search)

 

Part 1 - standard enquiries

One parcel of land:
Residential/Commercial                                   £121.00
Each additional parcel (no maximum)             £15.00

 

Part 2 - optional enquiries

Printed enquiries (questions 4-21 incl)          £10.00 per enquiry

Common Land Enquiry (question 22)             £14.00
Each additional enquiry                                  £15.00

 

LLC1

Whole or part of the Register                        £30.00
Each additional parcel (no maximum)            £5.00

 

Personal search of the whole Register         £22.00

Each additional parcel (subject to a maximum

of £16.00)                                                       £1.00

 

Under the Local Authorities (England) (Charges for Property Searches) Regulations 2008 the Council is required to operate its land charges service on a cost-neutral basis whereby the estimated cost of granting access to the Council's property records is met by an estimate of the number of requests for access likely to be received.  From this the unit charge for access to the records is calculated.  In 2009/10 the estimate of the likely cost of granting access to property records is £113,470 and the estimated number of requests is 1,250.  The scale of charges is set out above.  In the event of an over estimate or under estimate in any one year leading to a surplus or deficit the unit charge will be adjusted over the course of the following two financial years to achieve neutrality.

 

Our commitment to customer service

The Council recognises the importance of the land search to the conveyance process, and the need to turnaround searches as quickly as possible. Therefore, the Council has set itself a target of processing all searches in an average of three days.

For further information, contact the local land charges team at:-

Borough Offices, Bishops' College, Churchgate, Cheshunt, Herts,  EN8 9XQ

Telephone 01992 785552 or email landcharges@broxbourne.gov.uk