Which type of search?

When buying, leasing or re-mortgaging a property or piece of land, your solicitor will submit a local land charges search which will show whether there are any legal restrictions affecting the land or property, which upon completion of the sale, will be binding and enforceable against you, the new owner.

When a ‘charge’ is created against a property or piece of land, it's recorded on our Local Land Charges register. The term ‘charge’ is a generic term and relates to non-financial as well as financial matters.

We will investigate any restrictions and bring all the information together in the form of a local authority search. Some examples are conditions imposed on planning permissions, restrictions such as tree preservation orders, conservation areas and listed buildings.

Our searches are backed up by insurance which do not expire. We complete and return the majority of our searches within two working days.

We are unable to tell you who owns a piece of land or where the boundaries lie; for enquiries of this nature you should contact HM Land Registry at Plymouth, see GOV.UK - Land Registry or more details can be found at the following link https://www.gov.uk/your-property-boundaries.

Types of searches

Full and part searches

The majority of searches we receive are full searches (LLC1 and CON29 searches submitted together). You can also do these searches separately or request parts of the CON29 form. CON29 optional questions can be submitted with the other forms or by itself. See Fees and payment methods and Submit a search.

LLC1 search

This consists of a search of the Land Charges Register and reveals any outstanding 'charges' against the property or land. It does not show all the information which might affect a property; the CON29R search will fill the gaps.

CON29 search

The CON29 shows matters which may be pending such as a tree preservation order, if the roadway is maintained at public expense, prospective new road schemes or parking restrictions, a compulsory purchase order, whether the property falls within a contaminated or radon gas area. The contents of the CON29 form is considered by many licensed conveyancers/solicitors to be one of the most comprehensive information documents used during the house buying process. All the information required to complete a CON29 is available from us. You can request all the questions or part of them.

CON290 search

This consists of up to 22 other optional enquiries such as:

• Pipelines
• Noise abatement
• Food safety notices
• Hazardous substance consents
• Hedgerow notices
• Registered common land and town or village green

The CON29 forms are subject to the copyright of the Law Society.

Personal searches

If you wish to undertake an LLC1 search yourself, you can request a personal search of the Local Land Charges Register, see Guide to Personal Searches.

There's no charge for this service but you must Contact us to book an appointment. You interpret the information provided yourself.

EIR requests

There is no charge for inspection of the records under the Environmental Information Regulations (EIR). For access to data under EIR, please see Guide to Personal Searches.