Coal Authority

The Coal Authority website has some useful information including a guide to Coal Mining Searches in Scotland which includes information on fees and the procedure. There is also a useful list of places in Scotland where a coal mining search IS required and one where a coal mining search IS NOT required.

Company Names & Addresses

Companies House has always had an incredibly useful site. A full list of the services which they offer are available on Scottish Law Online on the UK Company Information page. The link on the left is a direct link to the page on Companies House which allows you to search for company names and addresses, etc. (Always check there first before designing a company!) Registered users can also access the Companies House Direct services. See also the Forms Online section of this Intranet. Contact - Edinburgh 37 Castle Terrace Edinburgh EH1 2EB Tel: +44 (0)870 3333636

Disqualified Directors

Search the Register of Disqualified Directors online at Companies House before adding a Director to a company. This will save a bit of inconvenience and embarrassment should Companies House point out the error later!

Countrywide Legal Indemnities

I am not yet sure if this company covers Scotland however they offer a range of indemnities which may prove useful.

First Scottish Searching Services

First Scottish Searching has over 20 years experience in delivering fast, accurate and competitively priced searches. With an enviable client list, First Scottish is now one of the fastest growing professional searchers in Scotland. Its comprehensive range of Reports, which are all covered by full indemnity insurance, include:- Land register searches, investigative searches, property enquiry certificates, inhibition searches, Sasine searches, copy deeds and extracts, register of insolvencies, company searches, environmental reports, deeds plan service, boundary comparison reports and genealogical searches. For more information on their services please visit www.firstscottish.com or telephone them on 01383 826777.

Landmark Information Group

Digital Mapping, Property and Environmental Risk Information. They offer a wide range of legal services and work closely with data providers including Ordnance Survey, the Environment Agency, the Coal Authority and the British Geological Survey. Landmark offers current and historical environmental risk management information and desktop mapping solutions for the property industry.

Local Authorities

When all else fails, use a local authority to get the information you require. This is not an absolute rule, some are very good. However, they are often the exception. Be prepared to wait a while for whatever information you required.

Millar & Bryce Limited

There is a section detailing their various Services on the site. These include Sasine searches, Copies and extracts, Personal searches, Genealogical searches, Land register reports, Property definition services, Company searches, Presale property services and Company formations. The online Order Centre will be of most use to solicitors in Scotland allows you to fill out Forms and submit them online. The Download Centre is also extremely useful as it allows you to download many of the Forms so that you can fill them in by hand and post/fax them back. Their general contact information is Millar & Bryce Limited, 5 Logie Mill, Beaverbank Office Park, Logie Green Road, Edinbrugh, EH7 4HH; Tel: 0131 556 1313

National Land Use Database

A partnership project between the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, English Partnerships, Improvement and Development Agency (representing the interests of local government) and Ordnance Survey. Time will tell if this site becomes useful.

Oswalds

The conveyancing support services pages will be of most use to Scottish solicitors. From here you can find out how to order Sasine and Land Register Reports, Quick Copies and Extracts as well as Charges Reports. There are also Environmental Searches available on a separate page. Their general contact information is 24 Great King Street, Edinburgh EH3 6QN; Tel: 0131 557 6966; Fax 0131 556 2917.

Registers of Scotland

Main areas of the RoS site: Registers of Scotland Solicitors' Area Registers of Scotland General Guide Area Registers of Scotland Citizens' Area Registers of Scotland Business Customers' Area The Registers of Scotland have a wide range of services available on their various sites. Information on their Fees and Charges are available as well as on obtaining Property Reports and Copy Deeds. There is a handy list of Do's and Don'ts for Pre Registration and a Registration Fees Calculator as well. It will soon also be possible to submit a Search Request online. The DX Addresses and Legal Post Addresses are also available in html format. There is also a map of the Counties that are in the Land Register and the dates when they joined. More literature and guides to all the services are available by clicking here. Only a few of the many Scottish Registers are presently available online. Access to the Register of Sasines, Land Register and the Register of Inhibitions and Adjudications can be obtained through Registers Direct but require registration and a fee for each document which is looked at. This may prove very useful for solicitors in the future as too will the E Forms service and ARTL which will allow registration of property electronically. Other Registers sites include: Registers of Scotland (Executive Agency) (ROS) Registers of Scotland E Forms Scottish Land Information Service (SCOTLIS) Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) Contact - Edinburgh - 0845 607 0161 or Glasgow - 0845 607 0164

Search Scotland

Organisation (established in April 1999) which has quite a well designed and user friendly site which includes an on-line order facility. Their services include searches in all public registers and they aim to undertake these searches in both a professional and friendly manner.  Appears to no longer exist now.

SPH Property Search

SPH Property have updated their site and now offer a vastly improved array of online services which now include the supply of Environmental & Coal Reports. Also, SPH (Scotland) Ltd now incorporates Douglas & Co Title Searchers, allowing SPH to offer a fully managed OneSearch service whereby solicitors can order Property, Title, Environmental & Coal Reports from one wholly owned source. SPH covers much of Scotland and England too.

Title Research

Services for lawyers, corporate and public trustees. Specialists in probate and succession genealogy who trace lost heirs and missing beneficiaries in jurisdictions throughout the world. There is information on their costs on the site as well as information on their services which include Will Search, Missing Heirs and DocuSearch.

Who Owns Scotland

Project which is attempting to map the entire of Scotland and provide information on land ownership in Scotland.