The Land Charges unit process local searches on land and property within the Stafford Borough area. To keep pace with the changes in the property market it is essential your Local Land Charge service provides its customers with what they want and require to help with the smooth transition through the buying and selling process. Stafford Borough Council Land Charge service welcomes comments and suggestions on how we can improve our service.

Information

This unit maintains the Stafford Borough Register of Local Land Charges. Details of all charges against a parcel or parcels of land or property within the Stafford Borough area are registered with this unit.

• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
• HIPs are History
• Access to Information 2011
• Personal Search Information
• Local Land Charge History and Background
• NLIS (National Land Information Service) Searches

Setting Fees

The Land Charge service fees, calculated in accordance with guidance issued in 2007 by the Department of Constitutional Affairs are fair, reasonable and comparable within the market place, giving our customers an excellent, value for money service.

Please note Con29 fees are subject to V.A.T.

Fees and Charges

NB - non-business - outside the scope of V.A.T.

NB - Con29 Fees are subject to V.A.T.

S - standard rated - charges shown are inclusive of V.A.T.

What's it all about?

When you buy a house, your solicitor or agent will require a Local Authority (LA) search 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 CON29R enquiries.

The Law Society, which regulates solicitors, encourages the use of official searches and considers that alternative personal searches of the statutory register, disclosing only limited information, should only be undertaken with the approval of the client when time does not permit official searches.

You are advised to confirm with your solicitor or agent that an official search has been undertaken and to inspect the Certificate of Official Search (LLC1).

Your Local Authority Search comprises of:-

LLC1 - the Official Certificate of Search Form; this deals with all the registerable charges, for example financial charges (registered against the property by the local authority), improvement grants, tree preservation orders, conditional planning consents and agreements.

CON29R - the Enquiries of Local Authorities Form deals with issues such as road schemes, the planning history of the property and various notices which affect the property.

For an Official Local Authority search to be accepted the following must be included: -

• For a search request email your fully completed forms with a location plan of the property/area clearly outlined in red to landcharges@staffordbc.gov.uk 
• The correct postal address including postcode must be quoted.
• The correct fee (see schedule of fees above) must be made by credit/debit card by calling Stafford Borough Council or by BACS payment, details of which can be obtained on request.

Drainage and Common Land Enquiries

CON29 3.3 (a) and (b) Drainage Agreements and Consents are covered by Stafford Borough Council official search.  All other drainage and additional water supply questions should be directed to Severn Trent Water.

Severn Trent Searches, PO Box 10155, Nottingham NG1 9HQ

DX: 723860 Nottingham 43

Tel: 0115 971 3550

Registered Common Land, Town or Village Green Enquiries

Common Land enquiries are covered by question 22 of CON29O as an optional question - cost £24.00.

What about CON 29 O (optional) questions?

The CON 29 O enquiry form, comprises of 19 optional questions (4 - 22) to the CON29R  required questionnaire and are charged at £24.00. Examples of the questions found on a CON29 O form are given below:

• Road proposals by private bodies
• Public paths or byways
• Advertisements
• Notices: completion/ land maintenance/ pollution/food safety/ hedgerow
• Parks and countryside
• Pipelines
• Multiple occupation/ noise abatement
• Urban development/ improvement and enterprise zones
• Register of common land and town/ village greens

You may also ask a question that is not on the form. If we can answer the question we will, but we may not have the information you want. There is a charge of £24.00 for every additional question we answer. Examples of extra questions are given below.

Where planning consents have been issued subject to conditions, please confirm that all the conditions have been complied with.

Is the authority aware of, or does it have information in its possession regarding, the presence or possible presence of pollutants or contaminants at the property or any adjacent land?

What about CON 29 R questions?

The CON 29 R enquiries questionnaire, which forms part of the official search, contains many 'Warning' questions, the answers to which you will not find on any of the statutory registers.

Examples of the information only to be found by submitting a CON 29 R 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

How to request a search

There are full instructions on the Local Land Charge Search forms. Your solicitor will have these forms or you can buy them from law stationers.

Both the LLC1 and CON29 forms should be submitted at the same time if answers to both are required.

Examples of the LLC1 and CON29 forms.

Our Commitment to You

We aim to return all official searches within 15 working days and in any case within 20 working days.

LandCharges@staffordbc.gov.uk

01785 619338

Stafford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Riverside, Stafford ST16 3AQ

DX: 723321 Stafford 7