Official local land charge searches

Customer Notice

Sandwell Council no longer provides a local land charges personal search service or a search of the Local Land Charges Register (LLC1).

Our local land charges register has migrated to HM Land Registry's National Register and they will provide search results of local land charges searches in the Sandwell area.  You can access a new national digital service through your HM Land Registry portal account, Business Gateway or through HM Land Registry's GOV.UK page

Sandwell Council will continue to provide replies to CON29 enquiries as this service stays with the local authority.  It is important to remember to only submit the required fee for the Con29 commencing 19 October 2023.

For more information visit GOV.UK

The Local Land Charge Section carries out all official searches covered by the Local Land Charges Act 1975, guaranteeing comprehensive replies to official CON29 enquiries.

Please note that all full residential Local Authority Searches (Con29) deposited will receive a Limestone report, copies of Approved Town Planning Decision Notices, Tree Preservation Order, Listed Building, Conservation Area Plans, Building Regulation Approval Notices and Completion Certificates free of charge.

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 that an official search has been undertaken and to inspect the Certificate of Official Search.

We encourage you to apply online for your Local Authority Search via email to  us at angelaprice@sandwell.gov.uk with the property address and your telephone number and we will contact you for payment. Once we are in receipt of your payment, we will email your completed search back to you. 

You may also submit by post or DX using the details on our contact page.

Find out about our current fees and charges relating to local land charge searches.  Please note that there will be an increase to our fees and charges as from 1st April 2024.

If you wish to check if your site is within the jurisdiction of Sandwell, you can carry out a search via our Public Access Property Search.

If you have any queries relating to a local authority or personal search please email angela_price@sandwell.gov.uk or call us on 07553614968 or our customer services team on 0121 569 4054.