Introduction

When someone is about to purchase a property – either a building or a piece of land – their solicitor requests a local land charges search from the council. The results of a land charges search show a buyer if there are any matters relating to the property or land, which affects it such as a public footpath crossing it, or proposed road building plans. Land charges officers are responsible for obtaining the all the relevant information from different council departments and passing it on to solicitors.

Work Environment

Land charges officers are mainly office based and normally work a standard 37-hour week, sometimes with opportunities for paid overtime. Part time or job-share opportunities are very common.

Daily Activities

Local land charges services are responsible for maintaining the Land Charges Register and for carrying out local land charges searches. A full search consists of two parts:

• the first highlights registerable charges, for example financial charges (registered against the property by the local council), improvement grants, tree preservation orders, conditional planning consents and agreements;
• the second reveals issues such as road building schemes, the planning history of the property and various notices which affect the property.

Land charges officers are involved in all aspects of this work including:

• keeping a record of search requests that arrive on a daily basis;
• gathering information from and updating the Land Charges Register;
• conducting more detailed research and requesting information from other council departments;
• liaising with other councils in the local area;
• dealing with the fees paid for land charges searches;
• using GIS systems and other computerised and written records to collate all the relevant information;
• double checking search information and passing it on to solicitors;
• meeting with members of the public who want to conduct personal searches;
• supervising land charges assistants and delegating some of the more routine work.

Skills & Interests

Land charges officers need to be:

• organised and methodical,
• accurate, with great attention to detail,
• able to use computerised systems, with good keyboard skills,
• able to communicate with a range of people, with a good a good telephone manner and customer care skills,
• knowledgeable about the council’s geographical area,
• able to work to tight deadlines and remain calm under pressure,
• able to work well as part of a team.

Entry Requirements

There are no set entry requirements, but you may require a minimum of four GCSEs/S Grades including English and maths. Some councils may ask for previous experience working in a land charges office or some knowledge of the land charges search process.

You may have the opportunity to study for N/SVQs in land registration.

Estimated salary range

£14,000 – £18,000 per year.

Please note that salary information is a guide only and there may be local agreements in place. For further information about salaries for particular positions, please contact your local council directly.

Future prospects & opportunities

There may be opportunities to progress to more senior and managerial roles. With additional qualifications and training you may be able to develop into other areas of legal work within the council, or possibly into planning and development control.

Related Occupations

Follow this link to view a list of all related occuptions in Building Your Community.
Alternatively, follow this link to view all career profiles placed in the same job area.

Further Information & Services

Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors www.rics.org.uk

Institute of Revenues, Rating and Valuation www.irrv.org.uk

Asset Skills www.assetskills.org

You may find further information about this area of work in your local Connexions/careers office or school careers library – under AC or L.

What should I do next?

Look for current local government Land Charges Officer vacancies in the following places:

• LGjobs.com - the official recruitment website for local government.
• Weekly, bi-weekly or monthly jobs bulletins produced by local councils themselves, available from libraries, community centres, town halls/main civic buildings and central council personnel departments.
• Local council websites.
• Local newspapers
• National newspapers – The Guardian is particularly well known for its public sector job advertisements on a Wednesday.

Find out about the council and get some work experience if possible by:

• Making the most of work experience placements arranged through your school, college or university.
• Contacting councils close to your home to find out about the work experience opportunities they offer.
• Talking to someone who does the job you are interested in – ring your local council to see if someone can spare some time.
• Making an appointment to see a careers adviser for more specific information about jobs and training.