What are searches when buying a property?

The most important consideration when buying a property is ensuring that what you’re investing in is right for you. The best way of making sure is carrying out a property search.

Property searches will be carried out by your solicitor, and they form an essential part of the house buying process. Below, we explain the reasons why, helping you to understand exactly what you can expect from a property search.

Your solicitor is going to carry out a number of different searches as part of the conveyancing procedure. When you are buying a new house or flat with a mortgage, searches are deemed a necessity. This is because building societies, banks, and mortgage lenders want to make certain that there are no problems that could have a detrimental impact on the value of the property they are lending money on. Even if you do not need a mortgage, carrying out a search is important to make sure that there are no nasty and expensive surprises once you move into the home.

What searches are carried out?

There are a number of different searches that are carried out on properties. This includes local authority searches, which will look at all of the details that the local authority has about the property you are thinking about buying. Searches include discovering whether the property is located in an area subject to a tree preservation order, conservation area, or if it is a listed building. Another search will look at any existing planning permissions, as well as proposals for new schools, rail schemes, or roads that can impact your buying decision.

This is just one of the many searches that are carried out. There are also Land Registry searches, Water searches, and Environmental searches. The latter is critical, as it will ensure any risks are flagged, for example, if the property is situated in an area at risk of flooding or it has been built on potentially contaminated land.

Some other searches that may be required include Chancel Repair searches, which is needed if you are buying a property near to a church, determining whether you are liable for any repair contributions to the church. You may also need to have a Commons search, which is needed for properties bordering common village greens or land, as well as location-specific searches.

So there you have it: hopefully, you now have a better understanding regarding the different searches that are carried out on properties and why they are so important. If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us for more detail.