Local authority search

What is a local land charge?

A local land charge can be a financial claim, restriction, decision, or information which may affect a particular property or area of land.

A local land charge search will highlight these charges and help you to make an informed decision about buying an area of land or property.

An official local authority search is made up of two types of searches:

• LLC1: It shows any charges affecting the land or property, such as planning decisions and tree preservation orders, and details of money owed to the council by previous owners.
• CON29: The CON29R reveals any planning, highway, or environmental issues that either affect your land or property now or could affect you in the future.
  
  It can also include an optional section: CON29O. This ranges from common land and village green to advertisement consents and whether a property is a house in multiple occupation. We charge for every additional question requested from this section.

National Land Information Service (NLIS)

We are linked to the National Land Information Service (NLIS) at Level 3 and can receive and return local search requests electronically.

Contact us

Email: landcharges@colchester.gov.uk
Phone: 01206 282248