Subjects:

Conveyancing

Contents:

Introduction

PART I: The Required Enquiries

Enquiry
1.1: Planning and Building Regulations

Enquiry 2: Roadways, Footways and Footpaths

Enquiry 3: Other Matters

PART II: Optional Enquiries

Enquiry 4: Road Proposals by Private Bodies

Enquiry 5: Public Paths or Byways

Enquiry 6: Advertisements

Enquiry 7: Completion Notices

Enquiry 8: Parks and Countryside

Enquiry 9: Pipe-lines

Enquiry 10: Houses in Multiple Occupation

Enquiry 11: Noise Abatement

Enquiry 12: Urban Development Areas

Enquiry 13: Enterprise Zones

Enquiry 14: Inner Urban Improvement Areas

Enquiry 15: Simplified Planning Zones

Enquiry 16: Land Maintenance Notices

Enquiry 17: Mineral Consultation Areas

Enquiry 18: Hazardous Substance Consents

Enquiry 19: Environmental and Pollution Notices

Enquiry 20: Food Safety Notices

Enquiry 21: Hedgerow Notices

Enquiry 22: Common Land, Town and Village Greens

PART III: Drainage and Water Enquiries

Appendix

Submitting enquiries to the local authority, and to the water and drainage undertaker, and interpreting the responses, is a vital element of the conveyancing process, intended to elicit comprehensive information about the property in contemplation of purchase. These enquiries supplement the usual search of the register of local land charges, and are now in the standard forms Con 29R: Enquiries of Local Authority (2007), Con 29O: Optional Enquiries of Local Authority (2007), and Con 29DW: Standard Drainage and Water Enquiries (2007). New editions of the forms came into use in August 2007.

Enquiries of Local Authorities and Water Companies: A Practical Guide provides an essential background to the enquiries, explaining the statutory provisions underlying each of the questions, and evaluating the likely replies. The 2007 editions of the enquiries have been drafted to take account of developments in legislation and practice, including the introduction of home information packs. Many of the enquiries have been updated, and a number of new enquiries now appear. For the first time, many of the enquiries have a statutory basis in the Home Information Pack (No. 2) Regulations 2007. The fifth edition of this book is therefore particularly timely - an indispensable tool for all conveyancers and for those in the local authorities and water companies who answer the enquiries.