5 min read
When buying a house in England and Wales, local authority searches provide a detailed view of the property you are buying and some general information about its surrounding area. Necessary for mortgages and highly recommended for cash buyers, the search results identify future risks and issues that may arise with the property.
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The local authority search is one of the mandatory conveyancing searches you will need when buying a house with a mortgage in England and Wales. The findings of local authority searches often impact whether the sale of a house will proceed to exchange or completion, or whether substantial risks or issues have been found that will impact the purchase.
In this article:
A local authority search reviews all the information the local authority holds on the house you’re buying, such as the planning history or previous enforcement actions. It also provides a detailed view of the property and some general information about its surrounding area, such as tree protection orders or conservation areas. It covers a wide range of factors relevant to the property and how it may be used in the future.
The aim of local authority searches is to show any legal, planning, and environmental risks affecting a property, which are financial liabilities that may fall on you as the new owner. As such, these searches are required by mortgage lenders to protect against risks that could affect the property's value, and are highly recommended for cash buyers.
Local authority searches are made up of two parts: LLC1 and CON29. Find out more about these below:
This checks entries on the Local Land Charges Register about the property and the land it sits on to see if there are any legal restrictions related to your purchase, which may impact what you can do with the property.
It includes:
Listed building status
Tree preservation orders
Financial charges registered against the property
Improvement grants
Conservation areas
Planning agreements or applications
Smoke control zones
These enquiries reveal information about the local area that could affect the property being purchased.
It includes:
Enforcement notices or actions
Nearby road schemes
Contaminated land
Restrictions on permitted development
Building control history
Highway information
Public footpaths and rail proposals
There are some local authority searches which aren’t included as standard, such as:
Common land
Polluted land
Public path enquiries
Pipelines
Road proposals by private bodies
Notices regarding Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
These can always be provided upon request, so speak to your conveyancer if you need to discuss these any further. However, it is important to note that CON29O optional enquiries will cost extra - each question usually incurs an additional fee which is set by the council, usually between £8 and £50 per question (plus VAT).
Local Authority searches are typically valid for six months. According to the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook for Conveyancers, these searches must be no more than six months old at the time of completion - so if your house purchase takes longer than six months to complete, it's a good idea to get new searches done to ensure the information is current.
The validity period of a local authority search can vary based on factors like the age of the property and the type of searches conducted. If you're concerned about the validity of any searches for your property purchase, check with your conveyancer.
The Local Authority search is normally the slowest to carry out of all conveyancing searches. Typically, a local authority search takes around two to four weeks to come back, but it can take up to eight weeks.
The government target for returning local searches in 2025 is 10 working days, but the actual time can vary from council to council. Unlike other searches carried out online, local authority searches can be delayed by things like postal delivery, seasonal demand, and staffing levels at the local authority.
Typically, a local authority search takes around two to four weeks, however it can range from two to eight weeks. Also, keep in mind that once these searches are completed, depending on what they found, additional searches might be needed. For example, if there's a new road being planned near the property, your conveyancer might want to investigate further.
If your purchase is unable to proceed to exchange of contracts the cost of your next set of searches will be supplied FREE of charge. (Subject to terms and conditions).
Recent turnaround times reported by Property Searches Direct in July 2025 revealed which councils were taking more than 25 working days to return local authority searches:
| Council | Days to return searches | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland Council (formerly Allerdale Borough Council) | 25 days | ||
| Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Blaby District Council | 36 days | ||
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | 46 days | ||
| Breckland District Council | 36 days | ||
| London Borough of Camden | 41 days | ||
| Cannock Chase District Council | 33 days | ||
| Canterbury City Council | 25 days | ||
| Chelmsford City Council | 31 days | ||
| Cheshire East Council | 25 days | ||
| Coventry City Council | 31 days | ||
| Denbighshire County Council | 31 days | ||
| East Staffordshire Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Flintshire County Council | 25 days | ||
| Forest of Dean District Council | 25 days | ||
| Gwynedd Council | 36 days | ||
| London Borough of Hackney | 61 days | ||
| North Yorkshire Council (formerly Harrogate Borough Council) | 41 days | ||
| London Borough of Harrow | 25 days | ||
| Hyndburn Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| London Borough of Islington | 31 days | ||
| Lancaster City Council | 25 days | ||
| Mansfield District Council | 25 days | ||
| Middlesbrough Council | 25 days | ||
| Newcastle City Council | 46 days | ||
| Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| North East Derbyshire District Council | 41 days | ||
| Oxford City Council | 41 days | ||
| London Borough of Redbridge | 51 days | ||
| Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council | 41 days | ||
| Rochford District Council | 36 days | ||
| Rother District Council | 25 days | ||
| Rushcliffe Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Salford City Council | 36 days | ||
| Sheffield City Council | 25 days | ||
| South Oxfordshire District Council | 46 days | ||
| St Albans City and District Council | 25 days | ||
| St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Stoke-on-Trent City Council | 51 days | ||
| Stroud District Council | 25 days | ||
| Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Tamworth Borough Council | 41 days | ||
| Tewkesbury Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Vale of White Horse District Council | 46 days | ||
| Wakefield Metropolitan District Council | 31 days | ||
| Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council | 25 days | ||
| Wrexham County Borough Council | 25 days |
To help speed up property searches, at My Home Move Conveyancing you pay for searches at the same time as your file opening fee to enable your conveyancer to request the local authority searches straight away, preventing unnecessary delays further into your home buying journey.
Fees for searches can vary quite a bit as each local authority sets its own prices and uses different systems. To simplify things, here at My Home Move Conveyancing, we offer a set search pack fee of £399 (including VAT) that covers all property searches (except for coal and mine searches, which are charged separately if needed).
If you want to, you can conduct a personal search yourself for free. However, we don't recommend this because local reports require specialist knowledge to do them correctly.
View our example conveyancing quote here.
In the past, local authority searches were known as either personal or official. Today, personal searches are called regulated searches, while official searches are referred to as council searches.
For an official/council search, your forms are sent directly to the local authority. Council staff from the Local Land Charges Register conduct the search, which is then signed and stamped by a council officer and returned to your conveyancer.
On the other hand, personal/regulated local authority searches are done by an external agency which isn’t affiliated with the council. These searches are often quicker and cheaper than official ones and come with accuracy insurance and liability coverage for any errors.
It’s worth noting that some local authorities prioritise council conducted searches over personal ones. Therefore, it’s a good idea to call the council in the area where you're buying to check the wait times for both types of searches.
However, it is normally the mortgage lender’s requirements that will dictate whether a council or regulated personal search is used. Your conveyancer will check the UK Finance Handbook to determine which searches your lender accepts and ensure the accuracy of the search.
If you’re buying your home without a mortgage, searches aren’t compulsory. However, your conveyancing solicitor is likely to recommend that you have at least a local authority search carried out.
Answers to common questions about local authority searches, including costs, process, and why they’re important.
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