Official local authority search

What is the Official Local Authority Search and how does it differ from a Personal Search?

Local authority searches are usually submitted by solicitors acting on behalf of potential buyers. This will be part of the work completed by a solicitor as part of the conveyancing process. In Staffordshire, we work in partnership with the district (or Borough) councils, except for Stoke-on-Trent, who are a unitary authority, to provide all of the information required for the search. As local highway authority, we provide the information about the highway, and the district councils collate this information with their own to provide the full response. 

Official Search

An Official Search covers the extract from the Local Land Charges Register (LLC1) and the standard questions on the CON29 form. It carries a guarantee - a search made at the local authority has a statutory provision for compensation under the terms of the Local Land Charges Act (1975) section 10(3) if the local authority makes an error on the search. 

To undertake an Official Search, please contact the local district/borough council who will send the enquiry to us to provide the highway-related information.

For any searches within Stoke city, please contact Stoke-on-Trent City Council directly.

Personal Search

The Local Land Charges Act 1975 defines a ‘personal search’ as an inspection of the Local Land Charges Register. A register is held and maintained by every local authority (district/borough council or unitary authority) across England and Wales. A Personal Search only includes information from the Local Land Charges Register (LLC1). It will not provide the necessary information required to answer the CON29 or CON29O, and it also doesn't come with a guarantee that the information is correct.