Property Searches - the facts

An essential part of the home buying process involves obtaining local land and property searches which contain crucial information about the property.

Land and property searches can be carried out by Local Authorities or by private search firms. Local Authority searches contain the most up to date and comprehensive information, over 60 different searches are available, covering a comprehensive range of land and property issues

• Searches cover land information from:
• Local Authorities
• Land Registry
• Water Companies - drainage and water
• The Environment Agency - flooding
• The Coal Authority - mining
• The British Geological Survey - ground stability
• Speciality searches such as:
• Cornish Tin
• Cheshire Brine
• Chancel Repair
• Williamson Tunnels (Liverpool)

Searches also contain information about the local infrastructure and planning including:

• Highways agency - road building and maintenance
• Electricity - national grid
• Gas - pipelines
• Telecommunications - cabling
• Ordnance Survey - maps and plans

The current shelf life for a Local Authority search is, as far as solicitors are concerned, 3 months.

The average time taken to carry out Local Authority Searches is 5.1 days. In an effort to speed up access to local authority held data, the Government has published a 'good practice' guidance for local authorities and personal searchers. The guidance states that access to property searches should be provided within 1 working day and no later than 3 working days.

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