What searches do I need?

Buying a house is an exciting milestone and a significant investment whether you are a first-time buyer or looking to make a change. But what searches do you need?

The process can often feel overwhelming and over complicated with what feels like a thousand things to think about, from solicitors and surveys to paint colours and kitchens. Conveyancing searches are a crucial step towards completion. But what are they and why are they important?

Conveyancing searches check your property and uncover important information about your new home. They help identify potential risks and issues to not just the bricks and mortar but the surrounding area, including:

• legal ownership
• local planning restrictions
• environmental risks
• drainage and water connections

They are crucial because they protect homebuyers from unforeseen problems, ensuring that there are no hidden surprises or legal complications that could affect the property's value or safety. Completing these searches helps you make an informed decision about the property so you can proceed with confidence. We’ve put together a list of essential searches your solicitor will order where we’ll break down why they are important and what you should lookout for. From verifying the seller’s ownership, to uncovering hidden risks such as environmental hazards or local planning issues, these searches ensure your dream home is exactly what it seems.

Title searches

A Title search checks that the person selling you your dream home actually owns the property. There are two steps that will help to determine this, the first is the property’s title register, and the other is the title plan from HM Land Registry. All being well, both of these will confirm the owner of the property is the seller.

CON29DW

A CON29DW Drainage and Water search is an essential report for any homebuyer. It provides the full detail needed regarding water and sewerage connections on your proposed property and protects you from unnecessary risks and potential costs in the future. The report is created from water company data, ensuring integrity and complete information. This means that you can rely on our CON29DW Drainage and Water Search and are not dependent on insurance for future peace of mind. Not only that, but the CON29DW Residential offers full protection for you and your legal adviser against any unnecessary risk. There are other drainage and water searches available, but as a CON29DW producer, we always recommend this search for an in-depth analysis of your property.

Local Authority

A local authority search provides accurate and up-to-date information on local planning proposals, traffic schemes, conservation areas and compulsory purchase orders in the area. This will help you determine what development is scheduled in the area and will also advise you on any potential legal restrictions that could affect the property.

Environmental

It is highly advisable to ask your solicitor or conveyancer to obtain an environmental search for your proposed property. The reports cover risks such as contaminated land, flood, radon, subsidence, and energy and infrastructure. Having this report gives you the full picture to allow you to make an informed judgement on the safety of the property and its surrounding land for you and your family.

Chancel repair liability

A chancel report may be necessary to obtain due to the substantial number of properties that are still liable to pay for chancel repairs in England. A Chancel report combines historical parish boundary information, modern mapping techniques and Inland Revenue data to determine if a building is within one of over 5,000 parishes that retain the right to charge for the cost of repairs to the church chancel.

The results of these searches combined will give you a good understanding of any potential risk, now and in the future, to the property you’re buying. This will give you peace of mind that you have made a good decision and investment. If you’re a first time buyer, you can find a handy guide here of what else you need to do in the conveyancing process.