The Local Land Charges team continue to operate as close to normal as possible, but with some minor adjustments to some of their processes. The team are unable to return original search request forms and plans. Therefore, they are asking people to retain a copy for their own records, if they don’t already. We aim to complete local searches within the government’s recommended target of 10 working days, however, this is subject to the volume of search requests and the available staff resource.
The team will aim to return completed search reports and respond to enquiries as soon as possible. They will be unable to process postal searches with cheques and are asking for people to submit these via our online portal, or by email land.charges@stoke.gov.uk – After the search has been processed an invoice will be forwarded to customers to enable them to pay by their preferred method. Anyone who needs to contact the team during this period should email land.charges@stoke.gov.uk. The team will also continue to respond to personal searches through the land charges email address above.
Anyone can apply directly to the council for local searches on a property or land they are purchasing.
Search requests that come via our portal or email are invoiced and can be paid via your bank, by card on the telephone or online or by post using a cheque.
You can apply online using our portal or use the National Land Information Service portal to apply to a number of different information-holders in one go.
Apply on the National Land Information Service portal
Use the contact details below if you are unsure which searches you need.