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United Kingdom

Local authority search liability: Chesterton v Oxfordshire—duty of care, negligent misstatement, highway records and investigations, recoverable damages, and practice points for authorities and buyers (England and Wales)

Published on: 05 November 2015

Published by a LexisNexis Property expert
Legal News
Table of contents
  • Original news
  • What was the background to the case?
  • What was the council found liable for?
  • What does this mean for local authorities?
  • What are the key points for buyers?
Article summary

Original news Chesterton Commercial (Oxon) Limited v Oxfordshire County Council [2015] EWHC 2020 (Ch) What was the background to the case?

Chesterton, a property developer, bought three sites that included parking bays. A local authority search indicated the bays were not within the public highway. Yet the council omitted to disclose it had long been examining whether the land was in truth highway. It later concluded the land was highway and updated its records to reflect that. By then, relying on the search outcome, Chesterton had already exchanged contracts to acquire the property. Once completion had taken place, it transpired the search was wrong. The council contended the claim must fail as the search was accurate when issued. Chesterton went on to develop and sell the...

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