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Local Land Charges

District and Unitary Authorities in England and Wales have a statutory duty to maintain the Local Land Charges Register, carry out Searches of the Register and respond to Enquiries of the Authority. A Local Land Charges search provides solicitors, conveyancers and buyers with essential information relevant to the purchase of a named property or piece of land.

Local Land Charges officers maintain the Local Land Charges Register, carry out searches of the register and respond to enquiries of the authority. Staff in Planning, Building Control, Environmental Health, Highways, Housing and other local authority departments are also involved in responding to enquiries of the authority. The Local Land Charges National Occupational Standards and their associated National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ), which were originally developed and maintained by SkillsPlus, are now the responsibility of Asset Skills, working with local authorities in England and Wales, the Local Land Charges Institute and City and Guilds London Institute.

They provide standards and recognition for this professional group for which previously no specialist qualifications were available. They describe the standards of performance required by staff in local land and property searches and also specify what staff need to know in order to be effective in their roles.

For further information please contact David Bell on dbell@assetskills.org or access the website at www.assetskills.org.