Local land charges

Official Local Authority searches

It is important to have a local authority search carried out when buying a property as it is designed to protect prospective purchasers by informing them of any restrictions upon the land. A search may typically reveal, for instance, whether the highway fronting the property is public or privately maintained, or to let purchasers know about planning permissions and any conditions, tree preservation orders or enforcement notices, which may affect the property .

Our official search is conducted by trained and dedicated staff employed by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. We are responsible for the maintenance of the Local Land Charges Register and the registers of Common Land and Village Greens. When completing your official search we will always endeavour to ensure that the information revealed in your report is relevant and accurate. Because our information is supplied to us in house by our departmental partners, we have access to the most authoritative source of data available. We endeavour to complete each search within 10 working days.

Please be aware that our normal turnaround time for responding to a search may exceed 10 working days. We will do our best to return your search as soon as possible.

There are many advantages to using the official search product, not least of which is that, should you have any follow-up enquiries, you can go straight to the authoritative source for clarification (our contact details are at the bottom of the page).

The official search will bear the logo of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead council and the search certificate will be signed by an officer of the council, currently our Head Law and Governance. Only Local Authorities are permitted to produce and sign a Certificate of Search

If you have any concerns or questions please contact the Land Charges department by email at land.charges@rbwm.gov.uk