Personal Searches

Why?

Personal Search was introduced when local searches were carried out manually and took a long time to be completed by Local Authorities.  It was originally intended to allow a member of the public to inspect the registrations on the Local Land Charges Register of a single property in circumstances where time was of the essence in the completion of a conveyance.

What is a Personal Search?

A personal Search is an inspection of the Local Land Charges Register only. The statutory fee of a personal search is £11 per property.  Once the £11 has been paid and the Local Land Charges Register has been inspected, the personal search has been concluded.

Who uses this Service?

Nowadays, the main users of this service are personal search companies whose agents carry out numerous personal searches per visit on behalf of Solicitors/Conveyancers.

What else can a member of the public inspect?

Any member of the public is entitled to inspect certain public registers, free of charge, during reasonable office hours.   These include:

• Planning register and register of enforcement notices, stop notices and breach of condition notices
• Register of public sewer maps
• Register of publicly adopted highways
• Hazardous substances consents register
• Registers of litter control areas and street litter control notices
• Noise abatement zones register
• Public rights of way register
• Registers of local common land and town and village greens (Cheshire County Council)
• Records relating to hedgerows
• Tree Preservation Orders
• Contaminated Land
• Register of licences and management orders granted under Parts 2 and 3, including Temporary Exemption Notices under sections 62 and 86 of The Housing Act 2004.

Although the above Registers are open for inspection, that does not mean that staff within those departments are under a legal obligation to supply supplementary or additional advice.

What about CON29 questions?

The Replies to CON29 questionnaire will not be available on inspection of any of the statutory Registers. These may include, e.g. proposed road schemes, enforcement or other notices.

Any CON29 information submitted by a Personal Search Company agent is not covered by Section 10(3) of the Local Land Charges Act 1975 relating to compensation for loss.

The only way to receive CON29 information is to submit the official LLC1 and CON29 forms to Local Authorities.

Contact Details

Local Land Charges Service

Email - locallandcharges@chester.gov.uk

Opening hours - 9.00am - 4.45pm

Phone - 01244 402585

Fax - 01244 310071

DX - DX 722411 CHESTER 17

Address - Local Land Charges, Development Directorate, Chester City Council, The Forum, Chester CH1 2HS