HIP - Personal or Official Search

evansguy

From what I've read most of the on-line providers offer a Personal search only.

At the point of sale it's quite likely that the buyer will want an official search (done by the local authority) and in the present climate will ask the seller to pay for it.

It therefore would seem best to get a HIP with an official search.

Is the above right? Any recommendations for cheap HIP providers that do an official search?

Cheers
Guy

Doozergirl

I have not been asked for an official search to be paid for by any buyer. It has not even been mentioned.

The law requires you only to provide the minimum of a personal search; when negotiating a purchase price, the price of an official search doesn't make a blind bit of difference to anyone really. Have a look at how much your LA charge for an official search and account it into your decision but as I see it, you'll be paying for something that someone may not ask for; plus if you go past the six month point, or even 3 depending on the solicitor & lender, the official search could be equally worthless as it will be out of date.

Many solicitors would recommend a totally brand new search just to be safe anyway as all searches are effectively out of date as soon as they are produced. There is nothing to stop someone applying for planning for a supermarket in the back garden on the day after the search was produced.

As I see it, it's not scrimping - it's fulfilling a pointless legal requirement. If someone asked me to pay for an official search I'd consider it but I won't pay for one straight off that may not even help the eventual buyer.

timmyt

evansguy wrote: »

From what I've read most of the on-line providers offer a Personal search only.

At the point of sale it's quite likely that the buyer will want an official search (done by the local authority) and in the present climate will ask the seller to pay for it.

It therefore would seem best to get a HIP with an official search.

Is the above right? Any recommendations for cheap HIP providers that do an official search?

Cheers
Guy

whoever told you that is talking gibberish.

90% of hIPs have personal searches. the buyer can replace it with an official should they wish, but it must be at their cost, as your HIP will comply.

G_M

timmyt wrote: »

whoever told you that is talking gibberish.

90% of hIPs have personal searches. the buyer can replace it with an official should they wish, but it must be at their cost, as your HIP will comply.

Seems to me you're saying much the same as Doozergirl...? So not really gibberish.

evansguy

Thanks to Doozergirl and timmyt - I'd obviously picked up the wrong impression by skim reading other posts.

Richard_Webster

It may be a local thing - this stuff about the seller having to pay for a new search. Although there are exceptions, in my area I find that seller's solicitors hardly ever are prepared for their clients to pay for a new search. I always ask, but rarely am successful.

Possibly in other areas it is different.

What do TimmyT and Seabright find in their experience about this?