WIREDGOV

Borough council is the latest local authority to transfer its local land charges data to HM Land Registry’s digital register.

As of Wednesday 26 May, anyone requiring local land charges (LLC) searches in the local authority area of Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council will need to get them from HM Land Registry rather than going directly to the council.

Councillor Nick Pace, Executive Member for Governance and Public Health at Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, recently said:

We’re really pleased to have partnered with HM Land Registry to migrate our LLC data onto its central, digital register. It will help make the property buying and selling process quicker and easier, greatly benefiting residents and businesses in Welwyn Hatfield.

Mark Kelso, Programme Director for HM Land Registry’s Local Land Charges Programme, recently said:

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council is the latest local authority to offer its customers access to HM Land Registry’s LLC Register. I am delighted that people buying property in Welwyn Hatfield will now have access to instant local land charges search results, making it quicker and simpler to buy and sell property in the area.

Local land charges searches are normally required in the property-buying process. Most local land charges are restrictions or prohibitions on the use of the property such as planning permissions or listed buildings. The local land charges search will reveal whether a property is subject to a charge which then informs a buyer’s decision to buy a property or parcel of land.

HM Land Registry is working in partnership with local authorities to migrate their local land charges data to a central, digital register as part of a phased approach. Once migrated, anyone will be able to get instant online search results via GOV.UK using the Search for Local Land Charges service.

HM Land Registry’s business customers can use their existing portal and Business Gateway channels or their usual search providers to access local land charges data for those local authorities which have migrated.

Customers will need to continue to submit CON29 enquiries to the local authority.

For an overview of the service, watch our short video.

For more information, read about the Local Land Charges Programme.