What searches are needed when buying your new home?

Once you have chosen a solicitor to handle your conveyancing, they will conduct a variety of searches before your house purchase can go through.

It's useful to note that these searches are separate to any structural surveys that you or your mortgage lender might arrange.

These conveyancing searches are necessary so that you can find out any potential issues that may affect the purchase of the property or its sale at a later date. They could highlight planning or structural issues, which may affect the value of the property or cause difficulties later down the line.

Although many people see these as lengthy and a cause of delay, the results of the completed surveys will give you peace of mind that nothing untoward will pop up once you have completed your house purchase.

Local authority searches

These are probably the most important searches that will be conducted by your solicitor. They look at detailed information held by the local authority, such as prospective planning permission or restrictions in the area.

They will tell you if the property is a listed building, if it is in a conversation area or if it’s situated in a tree preservation area. These searches may also show who is responsible for maintaining the roads and paths which are adjoining the property.

Land registry searches

Your solicitor will need to prove that they property you are purchasing is actually owned by the property seller. Therefore, they will check the title register and title plan at the Land Registry. This is legally required before you can purchase the property.

Environmental searches

The environmental searches are carried out with an environmental agency and assess the past uses of the land under and around the property. This helps to identify if the property you are buying is built on an old landfill site, for example, or if there is contaminated water or toxic substances nearby.

Other potential environmental hazards such as the risk of flooding or landslides will also be assessed as part of these searches. They are necessary so that you don’t buy a house, which turns out to be hazardous to your health or is impossible to sell in the future.

Water & drainage searches

A water and drainage search will highlight the proximity of the property to public sewers to see where your water comes from.

It will identify whether the property has a sewer or any public drains running within its boundaries, which might prove essential if you want to do any renovation or extension work to the property.   

How long do conveyancing searches take to come through?

Unfortunately, there is not a set turnaround period to complete the searches.

Each local authority operates differently, and with over 340 authorities in the UK, it very much depends on where the property is located as to how the searches are managed.

Depending on the location of the property, conveyancing searches can take anywhere between one to six weeks, although during busy periods they can take even longer.

Search results may be sent back electronically via an online portal or via post or email to your solicitor.

If you are looking for a trusted solicitor to manage the purchase of your new home and arrange your conveyancing searches, then give us a call.

We work with many local solicitors who will be happy to help you to move into your dream home with complete peace of mind.

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