Bedford Borough Council offers official CON29 searches online, in just five days.
A local authority search forms part of the standard conveyancing process and should be made in every transaction.
About local land charges
Local land charges are restrictions on a particular piece of land that councils impose under the terms of various Government acts in order either to secure the payment of money, or to limit the use to which the land may be put.
The common types of local land charges include:
- Conditions imposed in a planning permission
- Listed buildings
- Conservation areas
- Tree preservation orders
- Planning and enforcement notices
- Smoke control orders
- Light obstruction notices
Anyone who wants to buy a property can find all the local land charges for that property on the local land charges register.
Searching the local land charges register
If you are buying a property, there are two options available to find details of entries on the local land charges register:
- Request an official search. Usually, a conveyancer will carry this out on your behalf
- Carry out a personal search. You can do this yourself or you can use a personal search company. To guarantee accuracy, the Local Land Charges Institute always recommends you use an official local authority search
Before you start, find your local council to check that your search area belongs to us.
Carrying out an official search
You can apply for an official search using the electronic land and property searches portals NLIS, TM, or InfoTrack.
Alternatively, you can access the new national digital service, Local Land Charges Search (GOV.UK), through your HM Land Registry portal account, Business Gateway, or through HM Land Registry’s GOV.UK page.
The Law Society has published guidance notes which are available on its website.
You will need to pay a fee for an official search. Contact your search provider for further information.
Carrying out a personal search
You can now access the new national digital service, Local Land Charges Search (GOV.UK), through your HM Land Registry portal account, Business Gateway, or through HM Land Registry’s GOV.UK page.
A lender may not accept a personal search. See an independent guide to property searches for further information.
Information under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004
The Environmental Information Regulations 2004 give you the right to access environmental information held by the council.
You can access all the environmental information needed to compile a property search by:
- Carrying out a personal search of the local land charges register (see above)
- Contacting the relevant departments that hold all other data
The regulations allow up to 20 working days for a response.
2025 fees for CON29 and supplementary enquiries
| Service | Form | Net | VAT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local enquiries search | CON29 | £140 | £28 | £168 |
| Extra property | x | £22.50 | £4.50 | £27 |
| Optional enquiry | CON29O | £22.50 | £4.50 | £27 |
| Solicitor's own question | x | £22.50 | £4.50 | £27 |
VAT receipts will be issued with the search result. VAT Reg No. GB 198 2074 36.
We accept credit or debit cards. As work starts immediately on receipt, fees are non-refundable.
Our turnaround time is on average 5 days. If you have an urgent search, contact us to see how we can help.
Further information
We have compiled lots your common questions related to our searches to help you find documents revealed on the search results.
If you still have a question about local land charges applications and services, please email Local.LandCharges@bedford.gov.uk.