Local land charges search

Land charges search unavailable

Updated: Friday 1 May 2026

The service still remains unavailable.

We are continuing to work on fixing the issue alongside our system supplier, Arcus Global.

We were hopeful last week that a solution was imminent, but further testing has shown that inaccurate results are still being returned.

We need to be fully confident of the results being accurate before we bring the service back online. The focus is to deal with the data issues that relate to already submitted search requests, so that these are processed quickly. Then turning attention to the remaining data requirements to have a fully functioning system. It is anticipated that testing on the backlog will start early next week. 

We would like to reassure everyone we are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as possible.

In the interim, we advise people to speak to their mortgage lenders to see if transactions can progress without a search. Alternatively, solicitors and conveyancers may be able to advise on options available on specific sales and purchases. 

We have provided extra details below about why the service is unavailable and how we are working to resolve it. We will continue to update this page with information. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

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Why we are unable to process land charges

We switched over to a new computer system (provided by Arcus Global) for land charges at the end of January expecting a short, week-long delay in processing applications while data moved from one system to another. 

Unfortunately, what was meant to be a simple switch over became problematic as the data could not be transferred as easily and accurately as anticipated. 

We have to be confident the data pulls through to the Land Register correctly or the system risks returning inaccurate results. 

We have been working with Arcus to find a solution but at the moment we are not confident that results are accurate. Therefore, the service remains suspended until we can be certain the results are reliable. 

Why we switched to a new ICT system

Our old contract was ending and, like all public authorities, we are legally required to run a tender process to ensure our purchasing is fair, competitive and seeks best value for money. 

Arcus was awarded the contract based on the set criteria. This meant that we switched from our old provider to Arcus at the end of January. At the time the contract was awarded, neither party could foresee the extent of the data issue. We did expect the service to be down for around a week to allow the data to transfer but anticipated that it would be fully running as usual in early February. 

The issue with the data

The data the council has from its old system is not in a format that can be easily synced with the new system. The data was complex and complicated and so required significant work to cross-check and review once data mapping issues were identified. This work is now largely complete, but some data links and targeted data still need to be worked on.

Testing will need to be carried out at each stage to ensure that results are accurate and reliable. 

When the system will be working

We’re working closely with the Arcus team to get a solution in place as quickly as possible. 

We know buying and selling a property is stressful without added delay and pressure. However, we must be sure that we are able to give people accurate information before resuming the service. 

Progress has been made but we are seeking urgent clarification from the company as to when we can start using the system accurately and start processing applications again.

We will update buyers and solicitors as soon as we can resume our land charges service.

We are not aware of similar cases elsewhere

We’re not aware of this level of data reconfiguration being needed elsewhere regarding land searches.

We have reached out to other councils for support and any specialist advice they can provide. Similarly, we have also contacted private sector specialists for support and advice in order to progress the matter as quickly possible.  

Number of searches affected

We have around 700 searches outstanding. These are a mixture of personal searches and local searches.  

Who will be prioritised

Once the service is running accurately again, we will prioritise searches based on the date we received them. We do not hold information about mortgage offers or chains so cannot prioritise them according to those factors. We will ensure those who have waited the longest are dealt with first.

How we will clear the backlog

Our land charges team is a small specialist team. We are already looking at bringing in extra staff to support them to clear the backlog once the system is running accurately again. This should help clear outstanding searches more quickly.

Refunds for charges 

We will be refunding the fee for land searches logged from Monday 26 January 2026 to date (Wednesday 22 April). This will be actioned and prioritised once the backlog of searches has been cleared. The refund will be made to the person or company who made the original payment in due course.