Local land charges - what are they?

A local land charge is a burden on land and/or property and will impose liabilities or constraints which are binding on successive owners or occupiers.  Local land charges would not normally be disclosed by looking at the title deeds or by an inspection of the land and/or property itself.

For the Aylesbury Vale area it is our legal responsibility to maintain the register of local land charges. This register is updated on a daily basis to ensure accurate responses to searches of the register.

Examples of local land charges are:

• Tree Preservation Orders
• Planning Obligation Agreements often referred to as Section 106 Agreements
• Planning Permissions with conditions
• Planning Enforcement Notices
• Listed Buildings

A potential purchaser of land and/or property needs to be aware of the existence of any charges as they are enforceable against successive owners by councils or central government. This is why a Local Land Charges search (also known as a property search) is such an important part of the home buying process.

Follow the link below for a guide to a local land charge search.

Date Updated: 18/03/09