What are property searches?
Key takeaways
Property searches (conveyancing searches) are checks undertaken by your solicitor to gather information about the property and the local area before you buy.
Property searches identify upcoming planning developments, environmental issues, conservation concerns and confirm whether the property is connected to the main water and sewerage system.
Land registry checks verify that the seller owns the property and any legal restrictions affecting it.
It can take from a few days to several weeks to carry out searches, depending on the complexity and thoroughness required.
What is a property search?
As part of the conveyancing process, your solicitor will carry out property searches.
The searches will check for things like any upcoming planning developments or environmental issues.
Land registry checks will confirm that the seller is the registered owner of the property you’re looking to buy.
If you’re buying with a mortgage, your lender will usually require searches before completion. Cash buyers can choose not to get them, but they’re strongly recommended.
What's the difference between a search and a survey?
A survey assesses the physical condition of a property, typically conducted by a chartered surveyor, to identify any structural issues or defects.
A search, on the other hand, is an investigation conducted by a conveyancing solicitor to uncover information about the property and surrounding area, such as flood risks and local planning issues.
Both are important, but they serve different purposes in the property buying process.
Can you complete a house sale without searches?
You can complete a house sale without searches if you are a cash buyer, as they are not mandatory. However, searches are highly recommended because they provide crucial information about potential issues with the property.
In some cases, a lender may accept Search Indemnity Insurance instead of having the usual searches in place. Policies will usually cover losses caused by things which would have otherwise been revealed during searches.
Nevertheless, it is still sensible to opt for the searches themselves.
What are the main property searches?
Different types of properties will require different searches. For example, if your property is near a church your solicitor may recommend a chancel repair search.
Most houses will need to have the following type of searches:
Local authority searches
Who carries it out: Traditionally, local land charges information was held and supplied by individual local authorities. However, under HM Land Registry's Local Land Charges (LLC) programme, part of this data, called LLC1, is being transferred to a single national digital register to make searches faster and more consistent.
What it reveals: Searches traditionally carried out by the local authority should bring to light any planning, building control and highway issues. They will also highlight if a property is listed in a conservation area or subject to a tree preservation order.
How will the Local Land Charges programme affect things?
The LLC1 data being transferred to the new single register includes conservation areas, listed buildings, smoke control orders and tree preservation orders
Planning permissions, proposed road and traffic schemes and other infrastructure proposals, such as railways, will still be done by the local authority. This is known as CON29 information.
The process of transferring data is ongoing. HM Land Registry continues to work with local authorities in phases, and a final completion date has not been confirmed.
Why it’s necessary: The findings from these searches will reveal if there’s any major planning work that will affect your future home.
Environmental searches
Who carries it out: These searches are usually done by specialist search provider, at the request of your solicitor or conveyancer.
What it reveals: This type of search will uncover any contaminated land, landslide, flooding and subsidence problems. This search will also let you know if there are landfill sites or gas hazards in the local area. If this search isn’t done, your lender might not confirm your mortgage.
Why it’s necessary: Environmental searches are crucial, because if you’re unaware of potential issues that could affect your new home it will be difficult to sell it in the future.
Water authority
Who carries it out: The company responsible for providing water services in the local area.
What it reveals: Water and drainage searches find out about sewer connections and water supply to your potential home, including whether public sewers or water mains run within the property's boundaries, and who is responsible for maintaining them. Water and drainage checks will also find out if the water supply is rateable or metered.
Why it’s necessary: It’s important to know that you will be connected to the mains water and sewerage system. Water, drains or pipe issues could affect your plans if you’d like to build an extension.
Land registry search
Who carries it out: Your solicitor or conveyancer
What it reveals: This search proves that the person selling the home is the legal owner of the house you’re going to buy. Your conveyancer may also check the title register and title plan to confirm ownership, boundaries, mortgage charges, covenants and rights of way.
Once this has been completed, your solicitor will register you as the new legal owner of the property.
Why it’s necessary: Land Registry checks are a fundamental part of the property-buying process and are routinely carried out whether you are buying with cash or a mortgage.
How much do property searches cost?
How much you’ll end up paying for your property search will largely depend on your local council. The table below provides a rough estimate of what you could pay:
Type of search | Estimated cost |
|---|---|
Local authority search | £150–£400 (varies by council) |
Local land charges register search | £15 (if council has migrated to new registry for LLC1 searches) plus costs for CON29 searches |
Environmental search | £50–£120 |
Water and drainage search | £50–£100 |
Chancel repair liability search | £20–£40 (if needed) |
Mining/specialist searches | £25–£120 (area-dependent) |
Title Register (official copy) | £11 (or £7 online) |
Title Plan (official copy) | £11 (or £7 online) |
How long do property searches take?
Some searches come back within a few days. Others will take longer as there may be more to uncover. It’s reasonable to expect the checks to take up to 6 six weeks.
Local authority searches often take the longest to complete, depending on the workload and efficiency of the particular local authority involved. This is an issue the new LLC system hopes to address.
You could speed up the process by arranging your mortgage as soon as possible and sorting out the necessary paperwork beforehand.
Buying a property is an important financial decision, which will take a long time so don’t expect your property searches to be over and done with immediately.
What to do if a search flags a problem
If a search reveals an issue such as flood risk, planning concerns, contaminated land or drainage problems, ask your conveyancer to explain the findings. Reports may identify a potential risk rather than confirming a problem.
You may need to get more detailed reports before deciding whether or not to go ahead with the purchase.
Also consider whether the issue that’s been highlighted will affect buildings insurance or increase premiums, whether you need to discuss it with your mortgage lender and if it might affect future building plans or the ability to sell it in future.
The searches can help you decide whether to renegotiate, request insurance, or walk away.
Use our free mortgage calculators to work out how much you could borrow or your future mortgage repayments.
Comparing mortgages with MoneySuperMarket
It’s simple to compare mortgages from a range of leading lenders with MoneySuperMarket. Whatever type of mortgage you’re looking for, we’ve got you covered. You can compare fixed-rate, tracker and discount mortgages with our mortgage comparison tool.
We’ll just ask you some questions about the type of property you’d like and how much you’ll need to borrow. Our handy comparison tool highlights the important information such as the initial interest rate, monthly repayments and any product fees you’ll have to pay.
More mortgage guides
Please replace ‘What are first-time buyer mortgages?’ and ‘How to save for a deposit’ with:
Author
Mel Hunter
Money & Personal Finance Expert
Mel Hunter has worked as a journalist on national newspapers and magazines for more than 20 years. Writing for a wide range of publications, including Good Housekeeping, Woman & Home, The Telegraph...
Reviewer
Alan Cairns
Senior Content Editor
Alan breaks down money, home, and energy topics into plain English to help you save money. Ask him about pound cost averaging or Balkonkraftwerk.
