Government removes £22 fee for local land charges search

Councils will no longer be able to charge the £22 fee for a personal search of the Local Land Charges Register, the government has announced.

The move by the Department for Communities and Local Government is designed to ensure compliance with EU law, which requires examination of environmental information on site to be free of charge.

The searches tell home buyers about restrictions or issues affecting a property, such as planning conditions, conservation areas and protected trees.

The government insisted that making the information accessible free of charge was part of its drive for “open data” to make public sector information more transparent and accessible to the public online.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps said: “Moving home is difficult and stressful, and the new government wants to make it easier. We’ve already taken steps to scrap home information packs, and now we are cutting the cost of researching the detail about your new home.

“This shows in practice how freeing up public sector data and opening up the books can benefit the whole economy, by cutting transaction costs and increasing competition.”