Land searches

A land search is used to gather detailed information about a specific piece of land or property. It's commonly carried out during property transactions, especially when buying or selling a home and is often conducted by solicitors or conveyancers on behalf of their clients.

There are 3 types:

Local land charges search

Before you buy a house or land, it’s important to check if there are any rules or problems with it. This is called a local land charges search.

It tells you things like:

• if money is owed to the council for work done on the property
• if there are special trees that can’t be cut down
• if the building is old and protected (like a listed building)
• if there are rules about what you can build or change
• if the council has told someone to fix something on the land

You can get this search from HM Land Registry. 

Con29 form

When someone wants to buy a house or land, their lawyer asks the local council some important questions using a form called CON29.

This form helps the buyer find out if there’s anything they should know before buying — like if a new road is being built nearby or if the house has had planning problems.

Personal Search (EIR) 

Anyone can ask for this information through a personal search. You can check if there are any rules or restrictions on the land by contacting HM Land Registry. If you want to see old planning applications, you can use our online system for that. 

All this information is protected by law, so it’s safe to use.

If you need to know who owns the land, you should contact the Land Registry.