Searches

[fatandshattered89]

What does the term 'searches' mean when buying and selling a house? What are they searching for? Why does it cost money?

I'm sure Google can provide a list - but it's anything that would affect the house such as public rights of way across the land, drains, any submitted planning applications nearby, chancel repairs. Not something you'd want to buy a property without really.

I believe you can do them yourselves but I'd rather pay someone else (and you'd still incur fees from some of the organisations involved I expect).

Why do you ask?

Because my lawyer told me very matter of fact my that the searches had been completed ... I just said great and nodded confidently with no clue as to what we were discussing.

Thank you for your answer. Google is a nightmare for anything house related. I didn't honestly thinking to check it.

You should get the results OP, if you haven't got them already.

You’ll get a thick pile of paper with reports about flood plain and drains.., in fact you are not required to have any of these searches, though it may be prudent depending on the property. But I once bought a flat in a building of about 50 units and didn’t bother with any searches.

It’s is something the conveyancing solicitor always does. Searches the land registry, the coal busts registry (to make sure there isn’t a great big open mine underneath), access rights , covenants, charges held against the property that may prevent the sale.,,once they say they are completed the response is ‘brilliant thanks’ if they had found a problem you’d know. I work in a similar industry

Here is a pretty decent explanation:

www.reallymoving.com/first-time-buyers/guides/what-are-conveyancing-searches

Our searches are £210 and we had to pay up front. They're pretty boring if I'm honest and are for details of land and drainage etc

If you are buying with a mortgage, the lender will insist that you get the compulsory searches (Water & Drainage, Environmental, Local Search), it is only if you are buying with cash that you can forego searches. There are other searches you can buy if you so wish and there also may be some searches/surveys which are recommended to you because of something showing up in the compulsory searches.

Round here we have to have mining searches as it was a coal mining area. One householder in our village had an old mine shaft appear in his garden a few years ago.