Would I be daft not to have searches done?

[BG2015]

I'm a cash buyer on sale of my property so because I don't need a mortgage I know I don't legally need searches doing. I'm (hopefully) buying a 15 year old house on a large established estate.

I think you’d be daft not to do a local authority search, they give details of many things such as nearby planning applications, previous planning applications on the property, proposed road schemes etc.
Some of the other searches feel a bit unnecessary, but the depends on the area you are buying in. For example, a mining search is very relevant in some areas of the country.

We live in a mining area so that's a good point.

Can I state what searches I want doing? The house Im buying isn't at risk of flooding so anything relating to that is a waste of time & money.

It’s not much money, though, is it? Compared to other costs when buying a house. I think you’d be daft not to.

I'd still do the flooding one. I live in an area I'd never consider a flood risk based on ordinance survey maps, but the water company have mismanaged the pipes nearby and it floods some of the houses on streets nearby (thankfully not us) whenever it rains.

Local planning is also very important. There could be plans for pylons, new roads etc.

You've convinced me- thanks

I would always get searches done & your solicitor will normally just do all the normal ones as part of the conveyancing process. They aren’t expensive anyway.

I didn’t get a survey done on this house ( beyond the very basic desktop valuation required by the mortgage company) & my buyer didn’t either on my old house. That saves way more money than not doing searches. I’m not recommending it generally btw just pointing out that some people choose to not pay for structural surveys but I’ve never heard of anyone not bothering with searches before.

You don't have to be near a river to flood, groundwater flooding can cause chaos when aquifers are full as well as many rivers running underground but there might not be a visible river for miles.

If I recall only a few of the searches are truly optional as most solicitors will not act for you unless they've done them. I think is part of their indemnity insurance? Worth checking anyway

I used to be a conveyancer and I would say, for the price, it’s worth getting at the very least the local authority, drainage/water and environmental. If you’re in a mining area add that in too. From experience: new builds can have problems too!
In addition to the things mentioned previously, the local search can also show up money owed to the local authority which you definitely want to know about to make sure the seller repays.