Local land charges check (England & Wales)
Local land charges are the restrictions that travel with the land, not the seller. A Premium HomeBuyerCheck at £4.99 already shows the listed, conservation, Article 4 and TPO overlays from open data, then points you to the official free personal search on GOV.UK.
Free postcode check first. Upgrade to Premium only if you want the full risk picture before you offer.
What local land charges are
A local land charge is an entry on a statutory register that binds whoever owns the property. Typical entries include planning conditions, highways agreements, tree preservation orders, conservation areas, listed buildings and environmental health notices. Buyers usually meet them as the LLC1 half of a solicitor's local authority search.
What this report already knows
Premium already includes the open-data overlays that overlap the register most buyers worry about:
- Listed building status (Historic England / planning.data.gov.uk).
- Conservation area.
- Article 4 direction (permitted-development rights withdrawn).
- Tree preservation order zones.
Those flags are informational. They are not invented LLC register rows, and they are not a scrape of GOV.UK.
The official free personal search
Anyone can run a personal search of the Local Land Charges register for free:
Search local land charges on GOV.UK
The official search is free. An optional £15 official certificate exists. HomeBuyerCheck does not purchase that certificate. Not every local authority has migrated onto the HM Land Registry service yet; if the address is missing, the council still holds the register.
Your report options
Run a free check on any UK address first, then pick Premium at £4.99 if you want the open-data risk picture. No new product, no extra LLC fee.
Listed / conservation / Article 4 / TPO overlays, plus flood, ground risk, radon, ownership and an AI buyer's verdict — the open-data picture before you pay a solicitor for LLC1 + CON29.
Everything in Premium, plus AI solicitor, surveyor and mortgage briefs, a negotiation report, and the leasehold-extension calculator.
Everything in Premium+, plus the official HM Land Registry title register read out in plain English. Still does not buy the £15 LLC certificate.
Check your property now
Free instant check. Upgrade to Premium £4.99 only if something flags.
What this is not
HomeBuyerCheck does not replace a conveyancer's official local authority search. Use Premium to screen a property before you offer, then run the free personal search and let your solicitor order the official pack if you proceed.
Frequently asked questions
What are local land charges?
They are restrictions and obligations that bind the land: planning conditions, highways agreements, tree preservation orders, conservation areas, listed buildings and environmental health notices. A solicitor's LLC1 reads the official register.
Is the official local land charges search free?
The personal search on GOV.UK is free. An optional £15 official certificate exists. HomeBuyerCheck does not purchase that certificate.
Does HomeBuyerCheck replace an LLC1?
No. Premium (£4.99) shows the listed, conservation, Article 4 and TPO overlays already in the report, and points you to the official free personal search. It does not replace a conveyancer's official LLC1 + CON29 pack.
Does every council use the HM Land Registry service?
Not yet. Not every local authority has migrated onto the HMLR Local Land Charges service. If the address is not on that service, the council still holds the register.
Related checks