Independent Mortgages Direct NE

Local Authority Search

What You Need To Know

A local authority search provides essential information about planning permissions, building regulations, nearby developments, and any restrictions that may affect the property. Conducting this search early allows any potential legal or planning issues to be identified in advance, giving both the buyer and seller time to resolve concerns and avoid delays.

Requesting a local search upfront is a proactive step that can reduce delays, prevent last-minute problems, and provide peace of mind to everyone involved. Taking this simple action helps streamline the conveyancing process, saving time and ensuring a smoother transaction.

Below is a list of Local Authority areas and their current turnaround times for Local Searches (in working days), with those taking more than 20 days highlighted. Solicitors typically wait to order a Local Search until a mortgage offer and contracts are in place. However, you can speed up the process by clicking the link below, selecting “Search Pack Order,” and ordering the search yourself.

 

Local Authority AreaTurnaround (Working Days)
 20+ Days *
Adur District Council21 *
Amber Valley Borough Council26 *
Arun District Council5
Ashfield District Council11
Ashford Borough Council11
Babergh District Council11
Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council26 *
Basildon District Council16
Basingstoke & Deane Borough Council5
Bassetlaw District Council16
Bath and North East Somerset Council11
Bedford Borough Council21 *
Birmingham City Council9
Blaby District Council7
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council16
Blackpool Borough Council11
Blaenau Gwent County Council Borough Council11
Bolsover District Council11
Bolton Metro Borough Council21 *
Boston Borough Council9
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (Bournemouth Borough Council)11
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (Christchurch Borough Council)11
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole (Poole Borough Council)9
Bracknell Forest Borough Council7
Bradford City Metro District Council11
Braintree District Council5
Breckland District Council16
Brentwood Borough Council11
Bridgend County Borough Council36 *
Brighton & Hove City Council4
Bristol City Council11
Broadland District Council9
Bromsgrove District Council21 *
Broxbourne Borough Council26 *
Broxtowe Borough Council16
Buckinghamshire Council (Aylesbury Vale)11
Buckinghamshire Council (Wycombe)11
Burnley Borough Council11
Bury Metro Borough Council7
Caerphilly County Borough Council13
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council26 *
Cambridge City Council21 *
Cannock Chase District Council13
Canterbury City Council21 *
Cardiff Council4
Carmarthenshire County Council26 *
Castle Point Borough Council11
Central Bedfordshire Council (Unitary)31 *
Ceredigion County Council19
Charnwood Borough Council11
Chelmsford City Council16
Cheltenham Borough Council11
Cherwell District Council7
Cheshire East Borough Council (Unitary)11
Cheshire West and Chester Borough Council (Unitary)11
Chesterfield Borough Council21 *
Chichester District Council11
Chorley Borough Council17
City of Doncaster Council7
City of Wakefield Metropolitan District11
City of York Council3
Colchester Borough Council7
Colchester City Council7
Conwy County Borough Council10
Cornwall Council (Unitary)31 *
Corporation of the City of London26 *
Cotswold District Council16
Coventry City Council11
Crawley Borough Council9
Cumberland Council (Allerdale Borough Council)26 *
Cumberland Council (Carlisle City Council)16
Cumberland Council (Copeland Borough Council)31 *
Dacorum Borough Council16
Darlington Borough Council16
Dartford Borough Council11
Denbighshire County Council18
Derby City Council11
Derbyshire Dales District Council16
Dorset Council (East Dorset District Council)11
Dorset Council (North Dorset District Council)11
Dorset Council (Purbeck District Council)11
Dorset Council (West Dorset District Council)11
Dorset Council (Weymouth & Portland Borough Council)11
Dover District Council11
Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council16
Durham County Council (Unitary)16
East Cambridgeshire District Council11
East Devon District Council7
East Hampshire District Council13
East Hertfordshire District Council11
East Lindsey District Council46 *
East Riding of Yorkshire Council11
East Staffordshire Borough Council26 *
East Suffolk Council9
Eastbourne Borough Council11
Eastleigh Borough Council11
Elmbridge Borough Council5
Epping Forest District Council25 *
Epsom & Ewell Borough Council16
Erewash Borough Council21 *
Exeter City Council16
Fareham Borough Council15
Fenland District Council14
Flintshire County Council26 *
Folkestone & Hythe District Council16
Forest of Dean District Council16
Fylde Borough Council11
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council3
Gedling Borough Council21 *
Gloucester City Council11
Gosport Borough Council11
Gravesham Borough Council11
Great Yarmouth Borough Council21 *
Guildford Borough Council5
Halton Borough Council11
Harborough District Council31 *
Harlow District Council19
Hart District Council9
Hartlepool Council9
Hastings Borough Council19
Havant Borough Council11
Herefordshire Council11
Hertsmere Borough Council11
High Peak Borough Council21 *
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council7
Horsham District Council11
Huntingdonshire District Council12
Hyndburn Borough Council26 *
Ipswich Borough Council11
Isle of Anglesey County Council11
Isle of Wight Council26 *
Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council15
Kingston upon Hull City Council11
Kirklees Metropolitan Council7
Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council16
Lancaster City Council11
Leeds City Council3
Leicester City Council16
Lewes District Council11
Lichfield District Council11
Lincoln City Council18
Liverpool City Council11
London Borough of Barking and Dagenham5
London Borough of Barnet5
London Borough of Bexley7
London Borough of Brent16
London Borough of Bromley4
London Borough of Camden46 *
London Borough of Croydon7
London Borough of Ealing11
London Borough of Enfield6
London Borough of Hackney51 *
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham11
London Borough of Haringey5
London Borough of Harrow21 *
London Borough of Havering Council11
London Borough of Hillingdon13
London Borough of Hounslow16
London Borough of Islington46 *
London Borough of Lambeth5
London Borough of Lewisham11
London Borough of Merton11
London Borough of Newham5
London Borough of Redbridge41 *
London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames11
London Borough of Southwark11
London Borough of Sutton3
London Borough of Tower Hamlets9
London Borough of Waltham Forest11
London Borough of Wandsworth13
London Borough of Westminster5
Luton Borough Council11
Maidstone Borough Council7
Maldon District Council16
Malvern Hills District Council5
Manchester City Council4
Mansfield District Council26 *
Medway Council11
Melton Borough Council9
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council13
Mid Devon District Council7
Mid Suffolk District Council9
Mid Sussex District Council6
Middlesbrough Borough Council26 *
Milton Keynes City Council21 *
Mole Valley District Council6
Monmouthshire County Council16
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council6
New Forest District Council16
Newark & Sherwood District Council19
Newcastle under Lyme Borough Council21 *
Newcastle upon Tyne City Council26 *
Newport City Council21 *
North Devon District Council3
North East Derbyshire District Council24 *
North East Lincolnshire Council12
North Hertfordshire District Council5
North Kesteven District Council5
North Lincolnshire Council11
North Norfolk District Council11
North Northamptonshire Council (Corby Borough Council)16
North Northamptonshire Council (East Northamptonshire District Council)16
North Northamptonshire Council (Kettering Borough Council)11
North Northamptonshire Council (Wellingborough Borough Council)11
North Somerset Council26 *
North Tyneside Council11
North Warwickshire Borough Council16
North West Leicestershire District Council11
North Yorkshire Council (Craven District Council)11
North Yorkshire Council (Hambleton District Council)11
North Yorkshire Council (Harrogate Council)11
North Yorkshire Council (Richmondshire District Council)11
North Yorkshire Council (Ryedale District Council)21 *
North Yorkshire Council (Scarborough Borough Council)16
North Yorkshire Council (Selby District Council)16
Northumberland County Council (Unitary)16
Norwich City Council16
Nottingham City Council11
Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council22 *
Oadby & Wigston Borough Council7
Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council46 *
Oxford City Council16
Pembrokeshire County Council13
Pendle Borough Council26 *
Peterborough City Council11
Plymouth City Council18
Portsmouth City Council16
Powys County Council11
Preston Borough Council11
Reading Borough Council16
Redcar and Cleveland Council16
Redditch Borough Council21 *
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council7
Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council21 *
Ribble Valley Borough Council11
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council26 *
Rochford District Council26 *
Rossendale Borough Council16
Rother District Council21 *
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council11
Royal Borough of Greenwich31 *
Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea11
Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames31 *
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead11
Rugby Borough Council15
Runnymede Borough Council16
Rushcliffe Borough Council16
Rushmoor Borough Council11
Rutland County Council7
Salford City Council31 *
Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council5
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council7
Sevenoaks District Council11
Sheffield City Council26 *
Shropshire Council (Unitary)16
Slough Council16
Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council11
Somerset Council (Mendip District Council)11
Somerset Council (Sedgemoor District Council)11
Somerset Council (Somerset West and Taunton Council)9
Somerset Council (South Somerset District Council)11
South Buckinghamshire District Council5
South Cambridgeshire District Council16
South Derbyshire District Council5
South Gloucestershire Council10
South Hams District Council11
South Holland District Council11
South Kesteven District Council11
South Norfolk District Council9
South Oxfordshire District Council11
South Ribble Borough Council41 *
South Staffordshire District Council11
South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council11
Southampton City Council5
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council2
Southend-on-Sea City Council7
Spelthorne Borough Council5
St Albans City Council21 *
St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council51 *
Stafford Borough Council31 *
Staffordshire Moorlands District Council11
Stevenage Borough Council16
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council11
Stockton on Tees Council11
Stoke on Trent City Council33 *
Stratford On Avon District Council17
Stroud District Council16
Sunderland Metropolitan Borough Council11
Surrey Heath Borough Council7
Swale Borough Council7
Swansea City and Borough Council11
Swindon Borough Council10
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council26 *
Tamworth Borough Council41 *
Tandridge District Council15
Teignbridge District Council11
Telford and Wrekin Council16
Tendring District Council7
Test Valley Borough Council31 *
Tewkesbury Borough Council31 *
Thanet District Council13
Three Rivers District Council11
Thurrock District Council26 *
Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council5
Torbay Borough Council21 *
Torfaen County Borough Council13
Torridge District Council11
Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council21 *
Tunbridge Wells Borough Council7
Uttlesford District Council7
Vale of Glamorgan Council31 *
Vale of White Horse District Council9
Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council26 *
Warrington Borough Council11
Warwick District Council11
Watford Borough Council11
Waverley Borough Council11
Wealden District Council11
Welwyn Hatfield Council21 *
West Berkshire Council11
West Devon Borough Council13
West Lancashire Borough Council11
West Lindsey District Council11
West Northamptonshire Council (Daventry District Council)31 *
Northampton Borough Council7
South Northamptonshire District Council11
West Oxfordshire District Council21 *
West Suffolk Council11
Barrow in Furness Borough Council9
Westmorland and Furness Council (Eden District Council)21 *
Westmorland and Furness Council (South Lakeland District Council)21 *
Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council11
Wiltshire Council (Unitary)11
Winchester City Council11
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council16
Woking Borough Council11
Wokingham District Council5
Wolverhampton City Council16
Worcester City Council11
Worthing Borough Council21 *
Wrexham County Borough Council41 *
Wychavon District Council11
Wyre Borough Council13
Wyre Forest District Council21 *