Conveyancing Searches

When purchasing property or land, it’s generally advisable to conduct a series of legal searches to uncover any potential issues that could impact the purchase price, the feasibility of securing financing from a mortgage lender, or even lead to the withdrawal of an offer.

Typically, these searches are coordinated and obtained by the client’s conveyancing solicitor, and the client will incur search fees as a result.

The specific type and scope of searches required will vary depending on the nature of the land or property, its surroundings, infrastructure, and other factors.

Some common types of searches include the following:

• Local search: conducted by the relevant local authority to identify any outstanding planning notices or decisions affecting the property, its listing status, conservation area designation, presence of public footpaths and rights of way, potential repayment obligations for council grants, and more.
• Planning search: Provides comprehensive information on planning consents and applications for properties in the vicinity.
• Drainage and water search: Obtained from the local drainage and water supply company to gather information about property connections.
• Bankruptcy search: Verifies that the purchaser has not been declared bankrupt.
• Environmental search: performed by specialised firms to assess potential environmental issues that could impact the property.
• Flood risk report: particularly relevant for properties situated near watercourses.
• Coal search: relevant for properties located in areas with known coal deposits and potential mining activity.
• Tin and other mining search: important for properties in regions historically associated with tin and metal mining, like Cornwall and Devon.
• Chancel search: necessary for properties potentially subject to chancel repair liability.