Why do I need a Local Land Charges Search?
When you think you’ve found your dream property, it’s all too easy to see it in a positive light and get carried away with your ideas. But before you start designing a loft conversion or conservatory, or drawing up plans to landscape the garden, you need to be sure you’ve seen the full picture. After all, buying a house is probably the biggest investment you will ever make so before you make any of the following assumptions, read on and ensure you don’t get caught in a nasty trap!
- We can chop that hedge or tree down when we move in
- All roads and passageways are maintained by the council so we don’t have to worry about the condition of them
- The extension is already built so it must have had planning permission and complied with building regulations
- We could always extend - there can’t be any drains or pipelines in the way
- The council will never think of diverting that main road nearby – will they?
Imagine buying a house and then finding out a year later that you can’t extend it because it’s in a conservation area. What could be worse than discovering that the council are planning to make the road you live in a dual carriageway or that you can’t take down that huge oak tree in the back garden because it’s protected?
It is vital that you ask your solicitor to complete a thorough search and check out the full facts on your new home. In South Tyneside, this will cost you around £126 (although it may vary slightly depending on the complexity), but it’s a small price to pay for such important information.
