Local land charges searches made simpler and more accessible

Thursday, 20 August 2020 09:35

From today, local land charges search results will be easier to read as they will no longer reveal adjoining registration details. The enhancement to our Local Land Charges (LLC) service is part of a series of changes we are making to improve the customer experience. Local land charges searches are normally required in the property-buying process. Most local land...Request free trial

From today, local land charges search results will be easier to read as they will no longer reveal adjoining registration details.

The enhancement to our Local Land Charges (LLC) service is part of a series of changes we are making to improve the customer experience.

Local land charges searches are normally required in the property-buying process. Most local land charges are restrictions or prohibitions on the use of a property, such as planning permissions or listed buildings. A search will reveal whether a property is subject to a charge.

Some customers had commented that search results were overly complicated and revealed too much information. We are continually listening to customer feedback and looking for ways to improve the LLC service. Based on these comments, this service change will improve the user experience by making search results simpler and more accessible.

Mark Edwards, LLC Service Manager

We have learned so much more from customers and users about how they use HM Land Registry’s Local Land Charges service and what works for them. Following their feedback, the introduction of these changes mean that we can provide a better customer service and reduce some of the work required by users to interpret LLC data. We are engaging with our user groups and are always looking to improve our service design to create the best service possible.

Andrew Prismall, Chairman of the Association of Independent Personal Search Agents (IPSA)

We are pleased to see that HM Land Registry is acting on feedback to improve its LLC service. When I proposed and recommended these changes to the IPSA membership, they were unanimously approved. Through providing feedback and working with our members, IPSA is proud to continue to collaborate with HM Land Registry to ensure the evolution of the LLC service.

We are continuing to work in partnership with local authorities in England to migrate their LLC data to our central, digital register. Once migrated, anyone can get instant online search results for that area using the Search for local land charges service.

The benefits of having immediate access to local land charge search results are greatly appreciated by customers. The average time to complete a search has reduced from 39 days to a few minutes and the average cost of an official search has reduced from £80 to £15. The next local authority to go live on the LLC Register will be Milton Keynes Council on Thursday 27 August.