Local Land Charges
Details of local authority searches and land charges.
Local Land Charges
Development House
Lombard Street
West Bromwich
B70 8RU
DX 14609 West Bromwich.
Telephone: 0121 569 3207/8 0121 569 3256/7
Fax: 0121 569 3241
Email: angela_price@sandwell.gov.uk
Reception Opening hours: Monday - Thursday 8.30am - 5.30pm. Friday 8.30am - 5.00pm.
Online Appointment Book Operating times for Personal Searches 9.00am - 5.00pm Monday to Friday. (For more information go to our Personal Searches section below.)
Personal Search Fee Increase
Please note that as of 1st January 2010 the cost of a personal search will be increased to £22.00 in line with notification from the Ministry of Justice.
You can apply online for your Local Authority Search simply by clicking the link below. It is quick and easy to use and we will email your completed search back to you as soon as we are in receipt of your payment.
If your request is to form part of the Home Imformation Pack, then you need to provide the following extra information:
- Name of Vendor
- Name of Estate Agent
- Name of HIP provides, and finally
- Name of solicitor/conveyancer
- Request a Local Authority Search (Plese note that the price for this service is £99.00 and not £136.00 as stated on the form. We are in the process of updating or records)
If you wish to check if your site is within the jurisdiction of Sandwell, you can carry out a search via our Public Access Property Search.
What's it all about?
Official Local Land Charge Searches
Water Searches
Fees
Personal searches
What about CON 29 Questions?
Our Commitment to You
What's it all about?
When you buy a house, your solicitor will make a search of the Council's records to ensure there are no hidden surprises, such as motorways at the bottom of your garden or outstanding Notices requiring you to take action to remedy an earlier wrong doing.
Official Local Land Charge Searches
The Local Land Charge Section carries out all official searches covered by the Local Land Charges Act 1975, guaranteeing comprehensive replies to the official LLC1 and CON29 enquiries.
Please note that all full residential Local Authority Searches (LLC1 and Con29) deposited will receive a Limestone report, copies of Approved Town Planning Decision Notices, Tree Preservation Order, Listed Building, Conservation Area Plans, Building Regulation Approval Notices and Completion Certificates free of charge.
Water Searches
As from 1st April 2009 the revised Local Land Charges Fees will be as follows:
LLC1 Additional parcels of land: LLC1 | £15.00 £2.00 each |
Con29 Additional parcels of land: Con29 | £84.00 £18.00 each |
Full Local Authority Search - Residential Property (LLC1, Con29(R), Limestone and copy documents) | £99.00 |
Full Local Authority Search - Non Residential (LLC1, Con29(R), Limestone) | £176.00 |
| Compiled Con29(R) data (including Publicly available information) (Please complete and return the form available) | £78.00 (Form) |
| Compiled Con29(R) data (excluding Publicly available information) (Please complete and return the form available) | £64.00 (Form) |
| Con29(O) enquiries (5-22) | £10.00 each |
Limestone Enquiries (free with Full Local Authority Search) Landfill Enquiries | £20.00 £10.00 |
| Personal Search (single parcel of land) | £22.00 |
| Copy Documents: Section 38 Agreements Section 106 Agreements Tree Preservation Order Combined Drainage Agreements |
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| Full Local Authority Searches only: Planning and Building Regulation approvals are attached free of charge. Copies of any of the above copy documents can also be provided free of charge upon request. | |
A 10% discount is offered for all electronic submissions and return.
Here is a guide to access and charging for compiled and non compiled Con29 data for your information.
Guaranteed Quantity Bulk Discount
As of 1st July 2007, if you submit 25 or more Local Authority Residential Searches electronically within one calendar month, we will be able to offer you a discount price of £81.18 per search deposited.
If you are interested in taking up this offer, please contact us for further details.
Telephone: 0121 569 3207/8 0121 569 3256/7
Fax: 0121 569 3241
Email: angela_price@sandwell.gov.uk
Personal Searches
Whats New!!
Information Commissioner's Office: guidance on property search information and the Environmental Information Regulations
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough 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 Information Commissioner's Office 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 Local Government Association 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 (England)(Charges for Property Searches) Regulations 2008.
20th July 2009
Personal Search Electronic Appointment Book - From 10th March 2008
The booking of Personal Search appointments by telephone has been replaced with online access to a dedicated Personal Search appointment diary. This will allow companies the freedom to book their own appointments between 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, up to10 working days in advance.
Please note: Failure to attend or cancel a given appointment will warrant the payment of the prescribed fee.
By selecting 'Appointment Book' above you will gain access to the system. Once you have read and agreed the terms of the system we will forward your password to open the diary.
User guide on how to use the Appointment Book.
From 1 August 2007
Local Enquiries (CON29 “Required”)
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council is currently operating in accordance with the 2005 “Personal Searches Guidance for Local Authorities and Personal Searchers”
Information is accessible in respect of the unitary development plan, the planning applications and decisions register, the stop and enforcement register. The Definitive Footpaths/Public Rights of way Register information can be obtained by contacting 0121 569 4151. Road adoption information can be obtained by contacting Highways on 0121 569 4820.
Post 1996 Building Regulation information can be obtained by writing in with a fee of £20.00 to Mrs T Hollingworth, Development House, Lombard Street, West Bromwich.
Where information does not form part of a statutory register, public document or record, we are working towards making more of that information available as soon as is practical.
We await any resultant guidance or policy decisions that may arise from the Government Consultation document on access to information. We also await the outcomes of the work currently being undertaken into the three OFT options for a charging regime for access to/the provision of information that is currently being undertaken on behalf of Central Government in response to the December 2006 OFT report in to the Property Searches Market.
If you are a Personal Search company who wish to book an appointment for a vist, please note that we operation a first come first served appointment system which operates from 9.00am daily with a restricted amount of places available.
What about CON 29 Questions?
Examples of the information only to be found by submitting a CON 29 are given below:
- Compulsory Purchase Orders.
- Proposed Tree Preservation Orders.
- Many informal notices under planning and highways laws not found on any register.
- Road proposals or schemes (including road widening).
- Proposed enforcement action or breach of conditions notices.