Property Searches

Land searches include the areas of Local Authority, Land Registry, Environmental Search and the often overlooked Chancel Repair plus Company Conveyancing where a search on a new property is required.

Local Authority Searches

Local Authority Searches are essential when purchasing a house. The information provided will reveal important things about your new property such as planning and building regulation history and any compulsory purchase orders, or road, rail and traffic schemes that may affect the property. It will also show if your property will be influenced by a tree preservation order, conservation area and many other planning constraints.

We carry out personal visits to the appropriate local authority to ascertain relevant information from the Land Charges and planning history registers. We will also inspect any additional databases and attend Council offices to compile a full search report.

We can undertake personal local authority searches in most areas of England and Wales at a very competitive price and an excellent turnaround time.

If you also require Environmental Searches, Drainage and Water Searches or Chancel Repair searches you may wish to order them at the same time on our property search order page.

Land Registry Searches Provide:

• Title Number
• Property description
• Proprietorship register - entries from 1 April 2000 include value of all transactions
• Mortgages
• Plans
• Restrictive covenants
• Office copy entries
• Index map searches

Order a Land Registry search on our property search order page.

Chancel Repair

Chancel repair liability is an ancient interest benefiting some 5,200 pre-Reformation churches in England and Wales. It allows the Parochial Church Council to require owners of former rectorial land to meet the cost of repairing the church chancel.

Because the chancel of a church was the area where the rector, or parish priest, officiated, the duty of repairing the chancel of an ancient parish church fell on the owner of property attached to the rectory. Such rectorial land was and is not necessarily situated in close proximity to a church building.

Determining Chancel Repair Liability

There is no single central register which can be used to identify all chancel repair or other liabilities or restrictions attached to land and property in England and Wales. Enquirers are strongly recommended to check the deeds, the Land Registry and current landowners for relevant information.

Making a Chancel Repair search

Our searcher will personally visit the Public Records Office to inspect maps and determine the Diocese and the parish to which a property belongs. Armed with this information and the address of the property a Chancel Repair search is made by checking the Public Records Office to ascertain if there are any entries against that property in that Parish, which may link the address to Church of England (or Church of Wales) land. This will tell you in detail if you are liable for Chancel Repair and of the apportionment which can then be calculated according to the rent charge payable for the whole parish. A plan is essential for this service.

Order a Chancel Repair search on our property search order page.

Environmental searches and contaminated land

As an authorised reseller of Homecheck Pro, London Law can offer Environmental Searches on residential and commercial property.

This report is for use by lawyers and other professionals involved in the purchase and sale of residential and commercial property.

Both Residential and Commercial reports include information on the following five key sections:-

Enquiries of Statutory Registers

This section of the report sets out information from statutory registers held by the Environment Agency, Local Authorities and the Health and Safety Executive. It identifies any nearby industrial processes or installations which might have an environmental impact on the property.

Enquiries Concerning Natural Perils

This section concerns flooding and radon.

Enquiries Concerning Land Instability

This section concerns coal mining, natural subsidence and mineral extraction, which are the principal causes of insurance claims. It is designed to highlight land instability issues which may affect the value or enjoyment of the property. Enquiries ascertain whether the property is in a mining area (including underground or surface mining whether past, present or proposed).

Enquiries Concerning Other Matters

This section details other matters which may impact on the property and its settings and includes Air Quality readings from the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions (now DEFRA). It also includes a check on whether there are any transmitters and cell phone masts registered with the Radio Communications Agency near the property.

Communications Agency near the property

Order an Environmental search on our property search order page.