Tips and tricks for a successful order

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With the transaction rate picking up in the spring selling season, we know that long turnaround times on searches have a big impact on the conveyancing process.

We are proud to say that over 90% of our CON29DW Residential Searches are returned within 24 hours. You might think there isn't anything you can do on your end to speed up the process, but we’ve noticed a few common mistakes that delay the turnaround time. So here are our tips and tricks for a successful (and quick) order!

Double check the properties postcode

It might sound obvious, but making sure you submit a full, clean address with the correct postcode is one of the easiest thigs you can do to help us out! To provide your client with the correct connection information, we need to access the billing records for the property, which relies on us using the address to find the information. If the address is partially submitted or has an incorrect postcode, we may have to ask you to confirm or resubmit the address, delaying the process.

Only supply one plan

Submitting more than one plan might seem like a helpful way to make sure we know everything about the property's boundary but, we actually only need one plan. The boundary can slightly differ between plans, so when multiple plans for the same property are supplied, this confuses our reporting and means we’ll have to get in touch with you for clarification to confirm the correct boundary.

It is also important for the plan to only outline the boundary of the property being searched. If the plan outlines multiple properties, then we will have to come back to you to check which property the search is needed for, further slowing down the transaction time.

Respond to our queries as soon as you are able

When we are unsure of something, like the postcode or boundary mentioned above, and we have to get in touch with you for confirmation it is helpful if you reply as soon as you are able. We know that solicitors and order processors are exceptionally busy and the last thing you might want to do is reply to an email from us. But a prompt response really helps us meet a quick turnaround for you and your client.

One of the things that we commonly ask for is conformation of the property supply. That happens when we are unable to find billing account information to confirm the connection status. Sending a new plan won’t help us, instead the query needs to be sent to the seller so that they can:

  • Confirm the supplied premise on the bill
  • Supply a meter number
  • Supply an account number (residential searches only)
  • Supply a copy of a recent bill

Avoid 'land at' searches on commercial properties

When it comes to commercial searches, it is best to avoid a ‘land at’ address. A ‘land at’ address searches only the land, and not any buildings situated on the land. If connection information is needed for a building within the land, then we need the building address to run a search on that as well. Sometimes the address of the building might not be known. In this instance you can submit the search as 'land and buildings at'. Don’t forget, if you are ever unsure about how to submit a search you can get in touch with our Customer Service team.

Click here to read our full 'land at' search policy.

Choose the right search for your transaction type

We often see mistakes made around commercial searches and development land. The CON29DW Commercial has a different set of parameters that we look at compared to a residential search. We can’t run a residential search against development land as there is no historic billing information. If the plot of land you are ordering a search for has planning permission for a single residential dwelling, then we will need the plot address. If the plot address isn’t known, then we suggest you submit the address as ‘Plot at’ or ‘Residential plot to the rear of’.

If you have a big commercial search that you need a hand with, our conveyancing concierge service helps take the stress out of ordering by managing the whole process for you.

We’ve also put together some handy hints to help with a quick turnaround time on your Local Authority search, so all your searches can be returned as quickly as possible.

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For further information, please contact our customer services team or speak to your account manager.

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