Personal searches and access to property records
The alternative to an official local authority search is often referred to as a personal search.
A personal search can be conducted by anyone, but does not bear the official stamp of the council and is therefore not an official local authority search.
A personal search is a personal inspection of the local land charges register only and once the register has been inspected the personal search has been conducted. Personal searches are usually carried out by a private search company, who use the information as part of their own property search. A personal search is not a complete property search, private search companies will also make further investigations of other statutory public registers (planning and enforcement registers) and purchase other useful information to create an alternative to our official local land charges search.
In order to provide an efficient and fair service to all personal searchers we operate an appointment system. This appointment system is solely to inform the Local Land Charges Section of when you wish to visit and what addresses you wish to inspect the register for. You may visit Monday to Friday, between 10.30am and 4.30pm. Visits must be booked by telephone on 01296-585039. If you arrive prior to 10.30am, the register may not be ready for inspection so please be prepared to wait. A maximum of six addresses can be searched during a single appointment, with one appointment a day per searcher. A plan of the area to be searched must be emailed or faxed in advance of your visit.
In accordance with statutory instrument SI 1812 2010, there is no charge for personal inspection of the local land charges register.
From 29 July 2011 a map based Property Search Information Facility has been made available. This facility gives you the ability to inspect, within our Customer Service Centre, all the property information the Council holds. The system gives you complete control in deciding which layers of information you want to see and it also gives you access to the local land charges data.
This information can be inspected only and no printing facilities available, however you can make whatever notes you require. Please note that it is your responsibility to locate the information you require and interpret it for your purposes. AVDC staff cannot advise on what records should be revealed or where the records should be shown in relation to the CON29R form or for any other purpose.
At present this system does not replace the current procedure for viewing the local land charges register as we are still working on making vital parts of the register available. These parts are the registration date, originating authority and place of inspection. The system can be used as a useful cross reference tool but we strongly advise you to continue with the current inspection procedure for the LLC register as outlined above.
At the bottom of this page are two documents which will assist you in using the Property Information Search facility. Copies are also held within the Custoner Service Centre near to the computers for public use.
The Local Land Charges Section is also able to offer a service for property records and we aim to meet all needs quickly and efficiently, whilst saving you time by creating a tailored report for any of the enquiries from the CON29R form. If you would like to use this service, charges apply depending on the enquiries you would like a report for. You can order this service by submitting a Request for Information Form (downloadable from the bottom of the page), relevant plan and payment. The form and plan can be submitted by email to landcharges@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk and a credit or debit card payment can be taken over the phone. The information requested will then be sent back to you by email.
If you are interested in carrying out a personal inspection of the local land charges register or purchasing other property records please read our Inspection/Access to Property Records Policy which can be viewed and downloaded from the bottom of the page. The Schedule of Registers/Information for Local Enquiries Search, also available below, is an accompanying document to the policy which identifies what is available, from where and at what cost.
Date Updated: 29/07/11
Contact: | Local Land Charges Office |
Address: | The Gateway, Gatehouse Road, Aylesbury, Bucks, HP19 8FF (DX 4130 Aylesbury 1) |
Telephone: | 01296 585039 |
Email: | landcharges@aylesburyvaledc.gov.uk |