Land Charges and Local Authority Searches - A Guide

This guide can help you if you need to find out what restrictions or obligations are recorded against a property and/or land using the Local Land Charges Register or a Local Search.

What is a Local Land Charge?

A local land charge is a restriction or obligation on a property or piece of land, usually to limit how it is used or perhaps to secure payment of a sum of money owed to the Council relating to the property. These restrictions are binding on successive owners or occupiers of the property or piece of land.


What is the Local Land Charges Register?

The Local Land Charges Register contains all the Local Land Charges entries for every property within the area covered by the Council.

The information held includes information about whether the land or property:

  • Is a listed building
  • Is in a conservation area
  • Has a Tree Preservation Order on trees within the search subject property
  • Has a planning consent with conditions that must be adhered to

This list is not exhaustive.