Searches

If you are buying a property and getting a mortgage then you would usually be required to obtain the following searches: Local Authority Search, Water and Drainage Search and Environmental search. If you live in a mining area there may be additional Coal or Tin Mining searches required. We offer a special search package to Buyers at a fixed price which includes a Local Search, Water and Drainage Search and Groundsure Avista. The Groundsure Avista offers seven search areas; contaminated land liability, flood risk, ground stability, radon, energy, transportation and planning applications. We will send you a full report on the search results (including copy searches) and identify any issues you need to be aware of.

The time it takes for a search to be returned will depend upon the type of search. For example, we could expect a Groundsure Avista to be returned within a few hours, but a Local Authority Search may take up to four weeks. We provide a specially designed search package for buyers which means we could expect to have all searches back within around 2 weeks depending on the location of the property.

If you are getting a mortgage, then conveyancing searches are necessary and must be obtained before going ahead to exchange of contracts and completion. If you are a cash buyer, although searches are not compulsory, we would strongly recommend that you have searches carried out as this will give you lots of information that may affect your decision as to whether or not to go ahead.

This is a search carried out with the Local Authority and it will provide information about the property such as any planning applications or building regulations affecting the property. It will also contain information relating to whether the roads that provide access to the property are adopted and are the responsibility of the council. The search may also confirm if the property is in a Conservation Area or is a listed building or perhaps there is a Tree Preservation Order, which relates to tees on the land you are buying. All the information will be reviewed by your Conveyancer and supplied to you before you go ahead.

A water and drainage search will confirm if the property is connected to the sewers and who owns them. It will provide a plan showing the route of the sewers in and around the property. It will also confirm that the property is connected to the water supply and details of water pressure and quality of the water.

A Coal Search will be required if the property is in a coal mining or former coal mining area. Properties near to mining activities may be at risk of being on unstable ground. A coal search will provide information as to any mine entries within 20 metres of the property boundary, gas emissions from coal mines, other coal mining hazards reported in the area and plans for any future coal mining.

Here at Lets Move Conveyancing we recommend a Groundsure Avista search if you are buying a property. The Groundsure Avista offers seven search areas including 10 years of planning applications in one. The search will provide information on contaminated land liability, flood risk, ground stability, radon, energy, transportation and planning applications. We will send you a full report on the search results (including copy searches) and identify any issues you need to be aware of. It is better to have the information available before you buy a property than to find out when you have moved in.