Local land charge searches

Local Land Charges Customer Service Standards

What does the Local Land Charges service do?

When transactions take place involving property or land located within the borough, solicitors acting on behalf of the purchaser request the Council to carry out a local search to find out if any legal constraints or issues affect the property or land involved.
 
In most cases your solicitor usually submits the forms to the Council on your behalf, although the forms you need can be obtained from law stationers if you wanted to request your own search.
 
The main duties of the Local Land Charges and Searches service are to:
  • maintain the local land charges register for the borough
  • carry out local authority searches
  • provide additional information as requested
  • provide a search facility for personal callers on appointment
  • respond to general enquiries

Our mission is "To provide a consistent. Effective and quality land charge service, contributing to the efficient working of the local property market".

What can our customers expect from the Local Land Charges service?

These are our Customer care values. We will:

  1. Manage your request promptly
  2. Provide good quality services
  3. Be helpful, fair, honest, professional, courteous and consistent
  4. Provide the relevant information that you need
  5. Take ownership of your query
  6. Be realistic in what we say we can do, or can't do
  7. Treat your personal information as confidential and keep it secure
  8. Listen to your comments and learn from them
  9. Include contact details on all correspondence
  10. Maintain high accessibility and availability of service
  11. Strive to go the extra mile to meet and/or exceed your expectations and deliver what you need regardless of your ethnicity, disability, gender, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age
  12. Aim to deal with all standard full Local Authority search requests within 5 working days or less - our current response time is 3 working days
  13. Provision of a value added service by providing copies of Planning Decision, Building Regulation Decision, Completion Certificate and any agreements relating to the property free of charge for all residential Local Authority searches
  14. Aim to deal with all correspondence within 5 working days - our current response time is 2 working days
  15. All additional enquiries are being dealt with within 10 working days
  16. Offer a 24 hour expedited search
  17. Ensure that our people are professional, well trained and knowledgeable and where information systems are used on the advice desk, that the level of service is maintained

What does the council expect from its customers?

Please ensure that a clear plan is submitted with your search enquiry.

Please always ensure that the correct fee is submitted with your enquiry. (Bacs payment is preferred) bank details can be supplied upon request.

A full price list of services is available on request.

We may request feedback from you on the service from time to time. Please respond to our requests for feedback as your comments help us decide how to improve the service.

How can I comment, compliment or complain on the Local Land Charges service I have received?

Have we done a good job?  Either way we would like to know. You can complete an online form www.sandwell.gov.uk on which you can make comments, suggest how we can improve our services or make a complaint or compliment or write in to us at 

Customer Feedback Team, Sandwell Council , Roway Lane, Oldbury B69 3ES

How can you get in touch 

Directorate - Place,  Local Land Charges, P.O. Box 2374, Council House, Freeth Street, Oldbury B69 3DE

Tel: 07553614968 (Lines are open from 8.00am – 4.00pm Monday to Friday).