Searching for information about local land charges in Calderdale is now easier and quicker, as the service has transferred to the national database.
The Local Land Charges (LLC) register holds information about charges held against property, which could restrict its use or incur payment. Examples include planning conditions, listed buildings or tree preservation orders.
When buying a property, it’s important that the buyer or their solicitor carries out a local land charges search to make sure there are no charges affecting the land or property.
To speed up and simplify this process, Calderdale Council has been working with HM Land Registry to transfer the LLC register to the national digital register. This process is now complete and information about charges is now available online instantly, enabling buying decisions to be made earlier in the conveyancing process.
Users of the national register can download a personal search free of charge or buy an official search for £15 – this will allow unlimited repeat searches for six months. All information is delivered in a standard easy-to-read format, with maps.
This digital transformation supports wider government priorities to make property transactions quicker, simpler and cheaper. Anyone can access the register’s Search for local land charges service(external link). Business customers can also access it through their portal account(external link) or Business Gateway.
When all local authorities in England and Wales transfer their local land charges service to the national register, it will contain more than 25 million charges.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action and Housing, Cllr Scott Patient, said:
“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to enable our Local Land Charges to be available on the national digital register.
“This process is now complete, meaning that it’s now easier to search for any restrictions or potential charges when buying or selling a property in the borough.
“We want to make processes like this as straightforward as possible for our residents and this collaboration with HM Land Registry is a big step in simplifying property transactions.”
For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-land-registry-local-land-charges-programme/local-land-charges-programme(external link).