Buying a Property – What are ‘searches’?
When buying a property, the searches are a set of standard enquiries that we raise with a particular authority. For example, the local search is raised with the local council, the drainage and water search with the water authority and so on.
It is important to note that searches do not give any information on the physical condition of the property and are not surveys. Search results only deal with the legal aspects of the purchase.
Why do we need to do searches?
Searches give important information regarding the property you are buying. For example, searches will note various issues that you will need to be aware of. To name a few, these include:
- whether or not the road serving the property is a publicly adopted highway,
- whether planning permission may be granted for a future development that would adversely affect your property
- whether there are any mineshafts in the immediate vicinity
- whether it is subject to any planning enforcement notices
- whether the property is in a region with a known flood risk and other similar
The search results will highlight information about the property that may not be obvious. They will show any planning or structural issues that could affect the value of the property now or in the future.
When do we do searches?
Searches are completed and approved before contracts are exchanged (before you legally commit yourself to buy the property).
Obviously you will want to make sure that everything in relation to the property is as it should be – which is why we ensure that we have all of your searches checked and reported to you before we proceed to exchanging contracts.
We can help
If you would like Ringrose Law to act on your behalf for your conveyancing, please contact a member of the Conveyancing team at Ringrose Law at one of our offices in Lincoln, Boston, Grantham, Sleaford and Newark. Or contact