Conveyancing searches are enquiries your solicitor raises with various authorities to reveal information about the property and its surroundings that doesn't appear on the title register. Here's what each search covers, what it costs, and whether you can opt out.
Key Facts
The Land Register only records legal ownership and registered charges. It tells you nothing about planning history, flood risk, contamination, whether the road is adopted, or dozens of other factors that could significantly affect the property's value and your enjoyment of it. Searches fill this gap.
Your mortgage lender will insist on searches being carried out before releasing funds—they need to know the security for their loan isn't compromised by hidden issues.
The most important search. It has two parts:
Cost: £50–£250 | Turnaround: 1–10 weeks (varies widely by council)
Conducted with the local water authority. Reveals whether the property is connected to mains water and public sewer, whether any public sewers run through the land (restricting building), and whether the roads are adopted by the local authority.
Cost: £30–£75 | Turnaround: 1–3 weeks
Checks for historical land use that could indicate contamination (former industrial sites, landfill, petrol stations), flood risk from rivers and surface water, and ground stability issues (subsidence, mining). Critical for properties in former industrial areas or on flood plains.
Cost: £30–£75 | Turnaround: 1–3 days (often instant for desktop searches)
Required in former mining areas (South Wales, Yorkshire, parts of the Midlands, Northeast England). Reveals whether the property is affected by historical underground mining that could cause subsidence.
Cost: £25–£60 | Turnaround: 1–5 days
Depending on location and property type, additional searches may be recommended:
| Search Type | Typical Cost | Turnaround | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Authority (LLC1 + CON29) | £50–£250 | 1–10 weeks | Yes (mortgaged buyers) |
| Drainage & Water | £30–£75 | 1–3 weeks | Yes (mortgaged buyers) |
| Environmental | £30–£75 | 1–3 days | Yes (mortgaged buyers) |
| Mining (where applicable) | £25–£60 | 1–5 days | Location-dependent |
| Chancel Repair | £15–£25 | Same day | Recommended |
| Total (typical) | £250–£450 | — | — |
⚠️ You Cannot Skip Searches With a Mortgage
If you have a mortgage, your lender requires searches to be carried out. There is no opt-out. The lender's solicitor (acting on your behalf for the mortgage) needs the results before the mortgage funds can be released.
Cash buyers can technically skip searches—but it's a significant risk. Without a local authority search you won't know about planning enforcement notices, proposed road schemes, or listed building status. Without an environmental search you won't know if the land is contaminated. These issues can affect your ability to sell or insure the property in the future.
As an alternative, some cash buyers purchase search indemnity insurance rather than waiting for results—particularly in time-sensitive purchases. This insures against financial loss from undisclosed search results, but does not tell you what the results would have been.
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