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Searches

This page provides information about the searches available.  If you have any questions about searches please contact us and we will explain the process to you. We would advise you to seek legal advice when buying or selling a property. We accept electronic searches sent via the National Land Information Service (NLIS).

Official searches
Personal searches
Common land searches
Drainage enquiries
Home Information packs (HIPs)

Official searches
Requests for official searches are usually posted to us. They must be made on forms LLC1 and CON29 that are available from legal stationers. You may need to send us a plan, with the property clearly marked, for searches on commercial and industrial properties, new residential developments and searches where you ask CON29 questions.

Find further information on what's included in an official search.

Personal searches
You, your solicitor or an agent can carry out a local authority personal search. For this you need to come to the local land charges office and to the environmental health office, located in Perceval House next to the Town Hall. You should allow about 30 minutes to complete your search. We operate an appointment system and you should ring us at least one hour before you arrive to allow us time to prepare your search.

The information given in personal searches is not guaranteed by the council.

Common land searches
We maintain the council's register of common land and village greens, and process searches of these registers.

Drainage enquiries
Drainage enquiries should be addressed to Thames Water Property Insight, PO Box 3189, Slough, SL1 4WW, DX 151280 Slough 13. Tel: 0118 925 1504, fax: 0118 923 6655/57.
Email: searches@thameswater.co.uk
Website: www.twpropertyinsight.co.uk 
Please enclose a cheque for £44.18 payable to Thames Water Utilities.

Home Information Packs (HIPs)
Home Information Packs (HIPs) are required for all homes for sale with four or more bedrooms (from 1 August 2007) and three-bedroom properties (from 10 September 2007).  The packs include the following types of information:

Included in the compulsory required documents is 'Enquiries of Local Authority Local Land Searches'. This is the standard documentation, known as CON29 R, along with the LLC1 register of information. This is a set of questions which reveal information about the land/property to be purchased. A full local authority search is where the LLC1 search of registers and a CON29 R form is submitted in duplicate with the appropriate fee. This is known as the standard official search.

Included in the optional documents is local authority searches CON29 O. These are optional additional questions that a solicitor may consider advisable for the particular area. There is an additional fee for including this information.

For further information is available on the government's Home Information Pack website.