Local Land Charges Programme
Updated 29 May 2020
© Crown copyright 2020
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-local-land-charges-programme/local-land-charges-programme
Every local authority in England, with the exception of county councils, is required to hold a local land charges register that records obligations affecting properties within their administrative area. Under the Infrastructure Act 2015 responsibility for the 314 registers was transferred to HM Land Registry in a phased approach beginning in summer 2018.
This is a historic step forward in the Government’s ambition to make the home-buying process simpler, faster and cheaper. It is also an important part of our Business Strategy to help improve the entire conveyancing process.
Our new digital Local Land Charges service
HM Land Registry is working in partnership with local authorities in England to standardise and migrate local land charges register information to one accessible place.
Anyone can access our new Local Land Charges service through our Search for local land charges service. Business customers can also access it through their portal accounts or Business Gateway. Each search result provides details of entries on the Local Land Charges Register relating to the land or property concerned.
Local authorities will continue to provide replies to CON29 enquiries, such as nearby road schemes or outstanding notices, which may affect a purchaser’s decision whether to proceed. Once a local authority’s local land charges data has been migrated to HM Land Registry, you will no longer be able to get local land charge search results from that local authority.
Using our new service, you will have the option of downloading a personal search for free or an official search for £15. Alternatively, you can use a search provider who will access our Local Land Charges service for you.
Watch a video about searching for local land charges on GOV.UK (4 minutes 14 seconds)
Searching for local land charges on GOV.UK
Benefits of the Local Land Charges official search
The benefits are:
- guaranteed search results that provide the highest level of due diligence
- the full spatial extent of every charge appears on the search result
- standard £15 fee for each search, providing a reduction to the current national average price
- consistent quality of data which provides clear and accurate search results
- instant online search results with 24/7 access to the data, reducing delays in receiving searches
- unlimited repeat searches for six months to check for any new charges before completing a transaction
- search history dashboard giving you access to your previous searches at any time
Read about what the service offers.
Watch a video about our new Local Land Charges service (1 minute 14 seconds)
Creating a national Local Land Charges Register
Local authorities
To date we have transferred the following local authorities’ local land charges data to HM Land Registry’s digital service.
| Local authorities | Transfer date |
|---|---|
| Blackpool Council | 20 November 2018 |
| Carlisle City Council | 21 April 2020 |
| City of London Corporation | 8 October 2018 |
| Council of the Isles of Scilly | 17 January 2019 |
| East Lindsey District Council | 26 June 2020 |
| Lambeth Council | 1 October 2019 |
| Liverpool City Council | 3 September 2018 |
| Norwich City Council | 11 July 2019 |
| Peterborough City Council | 31 January 2020 |
| Warwick District Council | 11 July 2018 |
| Watford Borough Council | 6 February 2020 |
When the transfer of data from an individual local authority to HM Land Registry is completed, local authorities will still be required to apply, vary and cancel charges in the new register. They will also need to provide source documents on request and respond to additional enquiries from customers following HM Land Registry’s issue of a search result.
There will be more local authorities transferring their local land charges data to the new Local Land Charges Register during 2020. We will keep this page updated with new additions.
Local land charges
Local land charges searches are normally required in the property-buying process. Most local land charges are restrictions or prohibitions on the use of the property. The local land charges search will reveal whether a property is subject to a charge if that charge has been registered. The property will be subject to it regardless of whether it is registered or not. Other searches will need to be conducted to determine whether a property has an obligation on it.
Common obligations protected as local land charges
The common obligations protected as local land charges include:
- planning permissions (these form the majority of charges)
- listed buildings
- conservation areas
- tree preservation orders
- improvement and renovation grants
- smoke control zone conditions
- light obstruction notice conditions
Local authorities maintain a local land charges register for their administrative area. The records are held in a range of formats such as paper, microfiche and electronic. Prices also vary considerably and this has led to an inconsistent service for customers depending on their postcode.
A local land charge is created by either local authorities or other bodies with the powers to do so, known collectively as originating authorities.
Pre-migration guide
Local authorities must complete a number of tasks prior to the migration of their local land charges data.
Read the pre-migration guide.
Data preparation
HM Land Registry has developed a free tool to help local authorities prepare their local land charges data for migration to the central Local Land Charges Register.
The Data Analysis Dashboard tool is available to local authorities not currently in the migration process. It can analyse as much or as little electronic data as local authorities want to provide. This allows them to estimate the number and type of amendments they need to make. We can offer automated fixes for the most common changes needed, saving a lot of time.
By using the Data Analysis Dashboard tool local authorities will have a better idea about the time and resources needed for the migration process.
Email llcproject@landregistry.gov.uk for more information and to request access to the Data Analysis Dashboard tool.
Using the Data Analysis Dashboard tool
Watch a video about how the Data Analysis Dashboard tool works (5 minutes 15 seconds).
Local land charges: How the Data Analysis Dashboard tool works
New burdens information
Our new burdens information sets out our approach to implementing the new burdens doctrine for the transfer of local land charges from local authorities to our new digital local land charges register and in live service.
Public consultation
As implementation requires secondary legislation, we launched a public consultation on the draft Local Land Charges Rules 2017, which ran until 11 July 2016.
Local Land Charges (PG79)
Read our practice guide 79: local land charges for information on:
- applications to register a local land charge or to vary or cancel the registration of a local land charge
- applications for an official search or personal search of the local land charges register
Watch our Local Land Charges video guide (5 minutes 27 seconds)
If you work for a local authority or originating authority, find out how to add, update or cancel charges on the Local Land Charges Register.
Changing local land charges information on the LLC Register
Local Land Charges fees
The information in our guide: Local Land Charges fees is a summary of the Local Land Charges Fees (England) Rules 2018. The guide also refers to the Local Land Charges Rules 2018.
Our partners
Our programme partners are:
Contact
Contact the programme team: llcproject@landregistry.gov.uk.