Local land charges

We will no longer be accepting searches via post and payments via cheque. Please email all search requests to landcharges@chichester.gov.uk along with a clear plan of the property outlined in red.

Please make all payments via BACS using:

• Reference: house number or name and postcode of search address
• Sort code: 60-05-24
• Account number: 26121263

Please note, from until further notice we request all correspondences via email. We will no longer reply to 'update search requests' or quotes. Please see our fees to work out appropriate charges.

• Fees and turnaround time
  • 1 April 2024 fees
  • Current fees
• Personal search procedure
• Regulations
• Drainage and sewerage enquiries
• Highways and Common Land/Village Green enquires
• Land Registry (Ownership, Boundary and Title Deeds) enquiries
• The National Land Information Service (NLIS)

Each year, we receive approximately 2,000 search requests, usually from solicitors acting for buyers or sellers. Processing each search involves researching and collating information from other council departments, as well as supplying information recorded in the Local Land Charges Register.

The register information relates to Tree Preservation Orders, legal agreements and Planning Permissions. It is a search to establish whether there have been any notices registered affecting the use of a property or any proposals for the local neighbourhood that will affect the property. This requires the LLC1 form (Requisition of Search and Official Certificate of Search).

Departmental questions relate to road adoptions and the Authorities Local Plan. They require the Con29R ('Required') form, and sometimes the Con29O ('Optional') form as well:

• A Con29R is a form of standard enquiries that asks us about a property.  It covers such information as the planning history of the property, whether the road is publicly or privately maintained and whether there are any major road and rail proposals near the property.

• If you would like to ask a question that is not on the Con29R form, then please fill in a Con29O form.

Complaint or Compliment and Equalities monitoring Form (Word doc, 74 KB)

Fees and turnaround time

1 April 2024 fees

Standard (inclusive of VAT)

CON29R only

LLC1 only

Optional

Personal searches

*A separate search is needed for each parcel of land except where two or more parcels of land have a common boundary or are separated only by a road, railway, river, stream or canal. A parcel of land includes land, a building or part of a building that is separately occupied, separately rated or in separate ownership.

Please note: additional enquiries are no longer answered as part of a local search. Any additional question has to be sent to the relevant department by the customer and any subsequent fee will need to paid directly to them.

Turnaround times

The search turnaround time is approximately 5-7 working days.

If you do require a search urgently, then please contact us. We will try and do our best to help.

Personal search procedure

Update: Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and wanting to reduce the risk to the public and our staff,  we are changing our Personal Search procedure.  All results will now be emailed and therefore there is no need for any collection from our council offices.  The booking in process has now changed and we ask all requests to be emailed to landcharges@chichester.gov.uk and contact@chichester.gov.uk.  Both Local Land Charges and the Contact Centre will endeavour to email you the results within 10 working from receipt of the email.  This process will remain in place until further notice and any subsequent change will be updated on this web page.

You can do a search through the Local Land Charges Register. Please contact us to make an appointment. We will need the address of the property to be searched, as well as the name, address and telephone number of the individual or company conducting the search. A plan is also required which should be emailed.

These can be between 9am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm, Monday to Friday.

If you require information on how to access data on the 2016 Con29R, please see the 2016 Con29R Personal Search Access document.

2016 Con29R Personal Search Access (PDF, 109 KB)

Note: From 1 April 2012 any planning and related constraint information for properties and land within the South Downs National Park (SDNP) will be created and maintained by the SDNP authority. Therefore if you are carrying out a personal search on properties or land within the SDNP, you will also need to search their website for any new planning applications. Any planning information prior to 1 April 2012 will remain on Chichester District Council's planning system.

Regulations

The Local Authorities (Charges for Property Searches) (Wales) Regulations 2008

6 - Calculation of charges for access to property records

(1) This regulation and regulation 7 make provision for the charges and internal recharges made under regulation 5 (2) to be no more than the costs to the local authority of granting access to property records.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), each charge or recharge (the "unit charge") for access to property records made during a financial year must be calculated by:

(a) dividing a reasonable estimate of the likely total costs to the local authority in granting access to property records (and performing internal transactions) during the financial year; by

(b) a reasonable estimate of the number of requests for access to property records likely to be received (from another person or different departments of the authority) over that same financial year.

(3) A local authority must take all reasonable steps to ensure that over the course of any period of three consecutive financial years, the total income (including notional income from internal transactions) from such charges and recharges does not exceed the total costs of granting access to property records.

(4) Where under paragraph (2), a local authority makes an overestimate or underestimate of the unit charge for a financial year, it must take this into account in determining the unit charge for the following financial year.

(5) Each unit charge made during a financial year must be the same amount and must be applied on equal terms, regardless of whether it is made in relation to granting access to property records or internal transactions (although multiple unit charges may be made in respect of multiple requests for access or multiple transactions).

9 - Transparency in relation to setting of charges

(1) During each financial year, a local authority must publish a statement setting out:

(a) the estimates the local authority has made under regulation 6(2) (estimates of total costs and estimates of numbers of requests) in respect of the unit charge for the following financial year;

(b) the basis for those estimates; and

(c) the amount of the unit charge it proposes for the following financial year.

(2) In respect of every financial year, beginning with that which ends on 31 March 2010, a local authority must publish by 30 June following the end of that financial year, a summary setting out-

(a) the total costs to the authority in granting access to property records or performing internal transactions;

(b) the number of requests to which those costs relate; and

(c) the total income (or notional income) to the authority from charges and recharges made under regulation 5.

(3) In respect of every financial year, beginning with that which ends on 31 March 2010, a local authority must publish by 30 June following the end of that financial year, a summary setting out the total income to the authority from charges made under regulation 8 (answering enquiries about a property).

(4) The information to be published under this regulation must be approved by the person having responsibility for the administration of the financial affairs of the local authority under section 151 of the Local Government Act 1972(1).

Drainage and sewerage enquiries

Local authorities no longer answer enquiries on drainage or sewerage. The Local Water Authority answers this information on a Con29DW form. Please contact either Southern Water (opens new window) or Thames Water Authorities (opens new window) depending where your property is situated.

Highways and Common Land/Village Green enquires

Though these questions are answered as part of a local search, any follow-up queries need to be directed to West Sussex County Council (opens new window).

Land Registry (Ownership, Boundary and Title Deeds) enquiries

Local Land Charges have no details on ownership, boundaries or title deeds. Enquiries should be directed to the Land Registry (opens new window).

The National Land Information Service (NLIS)

The National Land Information Service (opens new window) (NLIS) is an example of the Modernising Government Initiative in action. It allows people quicker and easier access of authoritative, accurate and comprehensive information on all land and property in the UK. We joined NLIS in February 2002. We now receive approximately 60% of all local authority searches electronically through the NLIS Hub. The NLIS licensed channels are your point of access to local authority searches, allowing you to send and receive search reports electronically.

Contact us

For further information and advice email landcharges@chichester.gov.uk. Alternatively, you can phone us on 01243 534664.