Personal searches are those searches which have been carried out by either an individual property purchaser or by a Personal Search Agent. These searches are not official Local Land Charges searches and are not signed or endorsed by Local Authorities.
Only information held in Public Registers are legally open to inspection by a personal search agent. Therefore the personal searcher is not able to answer all of the questions listed on the CON29 Form of Enquiries. There is a risk that all appropriate information may not be provided to the property purchaser when using a personal search agent.
It is up to the individual property purchaser and his/her Conveyancer to make an informed choice as to whether a personal search or an official Local Land Charges search is more appropriate to them.
Some of the Public Registers include:-
- Planning register and register of enforcement notices, stop notices and breach of condition notices (sections 69 and 118 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990).
- Register of public sewer maps ( sections 199 and 200 of the Water Industry Act 1991). Refer also to South West Water
- Register of publicly adopted highways ( section 36(7) of the Highways Act 1980). Refer to Devon County Council
- Hazardous substances consents register (section 28 of the Planning (Hazardous Substances) Act 1990).
- Registers of litter control areas and street litter control notices (section 95 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990).
- Noise abatement zones register (Control of Pollution Act 1974).
- Public rights of way register (section 57(5) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Refer to Devon County Council
- Registration schemes register (houses in multiple occupation) (section 349 of the Housing Act 1985, as amended by section 69 of the Housing Act 1996).
- Registers of local common land and town and village greens (section 3(1) and (2) of the Commons Registration Act 1965). Refer to Devon County Council.
