Milton Keynes District Council has joined HM Land Registry’s digital Local Land Charges (LLC) register.
Anyone requiring LLC searches in the local authority area will now get them from HM Land Registry rather than going directly to the council.
This is part of HM Land Registry’s continued work to migrate LLC data to its central, digital register.
Lambeth Council signs up to HM Land Registry’s digital database
Through this process, the average time to complete a search has been reduced from 39 days to a few minutes, and the cost of an official search will be reduced from the highest fee of £85 to £15.
Pete Marland, leader of Milton Keynes Council, said: “We’re proud to be among the first local authorities to move our land charges and personal searches function onto a new national digital database.
“This is a testament to the rigorous processes that the team have put in place, and the new database will help us improve the service even further.
“My thanks go out to council colleagues for working collaboratively to help achieve this.”
Karina Singh, director of transformation at HM Land Registry, said: “Milton Keynes is the latest local authority to offer its local property customers instant, easy access to HM Land Registry’s digital Local Land Charges Register.
“We are working hard with local authorities like Milton Keynes to ensure customers can obtain the information they need quickly, to allow informed property buying decisions, even during lockdown.
“This is making the conveyancing process quicker and simpler for everyone.”