Official searches covered by the Local Land Charges Act 1975 guaranteeing comprehensive replies to the official LLC1 and Con29 enquiries
Land charge types
We keep a wide range of information about land and buildings within the borough. This information can affect your property or the property you may be interested in purchasing.
There are many "Land Charge" types. They may contain information about, for example, historic building grants which we may have given several years ago but which the owner may have to repay. A search can reveal information such as:
- conservation areas
- land subject to compulsory purchase
- houses affected by closing orders
- conditionally approved planning consents
House or property purchasers usually find this information out by using a solicitor. The solicitor then sends a Local Land Charge Search to us.
We do not have or hold details of:
- land ownership
- land or property boundaries
- restrictive covenants
- electricity or telephone services
- commons registrations (they are dealt with by Norfolk County Council)
- drainage enquiries (they are dealt with by Geodesys - Tel 01480 326814)
Submitting a search
Your solicitor or registered conveyancer will act for you. You can, however, submit a search yourself.
To submit a search you must use a special form. You can get this from:
The Solicitor's Law Stationery Society Ltd, Oyez House, 7 Spa Road, London, SW16 3QQ
You'll need to provide three copies of an up-to-date site or property location plan so that we can identify the relevant parcel of land or property.
Our performance
We have voluntary performance indicators for a 10 working day turnaround.
This is our performance for the last 3 years:
| Year | Number of searches | Searches issued within 10 days | % processed in less than ten days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 3,711 | 3,705 | 99.8% |
| 2020 | 3,869 | 3,842 | 99.3% |
| 2021 | 4,789 | 4,703 | 98.2% |
On average our current turnaround time is five to ten working days.
Guidance notes for personal searches
An appointment is always necessary, with at least 24 hours notice. We operate between the hours of 10.00am - 11.30am and 2.00pm - 3.45pm. A plan is always required. For appointments please contact 01553 616268 or 01553 616687.
It must be stressed that a personal search is only of the Local Land Charge Register. Once the register has been inspected the personal search has been concluded.
A personal searcher, or indeed any member of the public, is entitled to inspect certain other public registers.
These include:
- the planning register and register of enforcement notices
- stop notices
- breach of condition notices (Sections 69 & 118 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990
- the public register containing information about approved inspector's initial notices, plans certificates and final certificates (as required by Section 56 of the Building Act 1984 and regulation 30 of the Approved Inspectors Regulations 2000)
There is no public register of all building regulation applications made to the local authority. This information can only be sought through the formal Local Land Charge Search process or by formal written request on payment of a separate fee.
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. Our staff have been advised not to give gratuitous information because of the legal implications. You should, therefore, be aware that you'll be required to retrieve your own information from the records provided. This means that as an official certificate of Search form is not obtained, it is highly unlikely that this would be sufficient for mortgage purposes. Members of the public are therefore advised to contact their building society or bank before proceeding.
Assisted personal search
The Local Land Charges Team are now able to offer an assisted personal search service.
All you need to do is email a plan and the address of the property, and we will email the results of the Local Land Charges Register and the relevant planning sheets with all the planning details declared.
This can be performed for an administration fee of £22.15 per search which can be paid by either debit or credit card.
If you are interested in this service please contact the Land Charges Team on telephone numbers 01553 616268 or 616687 for further details or email: land.charges@west-norfolk.gov.uk
Local land charges fees
| Service | Net VAT | VAT @ 20% | Total fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| CON29R | £43.30 | £8.66 | £51.96 |
| LLC1 | £23.00 | £0.00 | £23.00 |
| CON29O (each) | £13.90 | £2.78 | £16.68 |
| Assisted personal | £23.00 | £0.00 | £23.00 |
| Parcel fee (each) | £12.90 | £0.00 | £12.90 |
| Additional enquiries (each) | £16.10 | £0.00 | £16.10 |
| Planning history search (only back to 1994) | £23.00 | £0.00 | £23.00 |
| Planning history search (only back to 1948) | £51.70 | £0.00 | £51.70 |
Contact details
Telephone: 01553 616268 or 01553 616687 (direct dial).
Email: land.charges@west-norfolk.gov.uk
Documentation and enquiries can be sent to:
DX 57825, King's Lynn.
Or by contacting:
Local Land Charges Department, Borough Council of King's Lynn & West Norfolk, King's Court, Chapel Street, King's Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 1EX.