Local Land Charges

The Register, Charges & Searches

You can request a Local Authority search by submitting completed LLC1 and CON29 forms, along with an ordnance survey based location plan (search area outlined in red) and payment.  All searches are currently completed within 5 working days.

Use Searches Direct to apply for a search:

Searches Direct is Kettering Borough Council’s online service, allowing individuals, solicitors and conveyancers to apply for all search requirements in one place in a few simple steps.  The work is completed by the Local Land Charges Team.

Alternatively, search requests can be submitted through:

Please note we no longer use the DX system

The Local Land Charges team are responsible for maintaining the Local Land Charges Register and for carrying out Local Authority searches.

A local land charge is an entry held in the Local Land Charges Register and can be financial or a restriction on land/property.  The charge is binding on successive owners/occupiers.  Examples include financial charges (for work carried out in default), conditional planning consents, listed buildings, conservation areas, tree preservation orders etc.

Every time land/property is purchased, leased or a valuation carried out, a request for a 'search' is sent to the authority in whose area the property lies. The search includes a check of the Local Land Charges Register and reveals what charges are registered.

There are two types of search:

Full Local Authority searches are carried out in two parts (LLC1 and CON29) with over 100 individual questions being examined that may affect a property:

  • LLC1 – a search of the Local Land Charges Register
  • CON29 – a series of standard questions which include highways, drainage, planning and environmental health matters
  • CON29O  - optional enquiries which can be requested on a per question basis and cover road proposals by public bodies, advertisements, environmental and food safety notices, common land etc

Only Local Authority searches can include an official search certificate and Kettering Borough Council’s full searches also include a “refresh search” voucher which enables the search to be valid for longer.  Full terms and conditions are listed on the voucher.