Searches

Libra1975

My lawyer has just charged me £200 for searches now I know this is normal so I am not worried about that what I don't understand however is what I get for my £200
"Search can only disclose whether there is a planning application actually in on the date of search, the day following obviously, an application may go in. Searches should only take ten working days, they will include an environmental search, contaminated land, flood risk, a know your neighbour search will disclose current planning applications in the close vicinity, local search discloses whether road is maintained by highway authority, any charge against the land (e.g. for drainage works outstanding)."

Now I'm slightly puzzled as all of those apart from any charge against the land can be found out for free from the internet. So what am I missing that my £200 buys me?

(This is not a slur against my lawyer I know it's what everyone has to do I just don't understand what it pays for)

JasonLVC

A personal search you can do at the council house (the council relting to where the property is located of course) and costs about £6-7 - you will get the details of any local planning issues/consents/future plans from this - so you can ensure your house will not have an Asda or Prison built next to it.

An extended serach then consists of other checks including one with the water board, national archive checks, coal board check and a variety of other checks which cannot be done by yourself and of course there's a charge for one each of these checks.

The council will do all of that for you (via a solicitor) for about £200ish and no VAT as is a disbursement. You can just have a personal search on it's own for £6 but may not show you everything you may want to and most mortgage lenders insist on a full land search (ie, coal, water, etc) as it may affect the valuation of the property and the money they are lending you on that basis.

It's a big rip off for sure, but you can't do much than accept it or find a lender willing to accept a personal search and for you to accept the potential that a personal search may not show up the coal mine beneath your garden or the main sewer pipe under your house which may collapse.

Libra1975

cheers Jason I didn't realise
"water board, national archive checks, coal board check and a variety of other checks which cannot be done by yourself "

these were all done.

Becks045

Also be careful, people think a local authority search will inform them for example a neighbour has submitted plans for an extension, they are building a supermarket on your road, developing a plot of land near you etc. A local search doesn't tell you any of this.

A local search only informs you about your property so its best to make your checks as well, check the council website for planning applications that may effect your property in the future.

alared

Would a £6 personal search cover you for a DIY HIP?

Libra1975

Becks045 wrote: »

Also be careful, people think a local authority search will inform them for example a neighbour has submitted plans for an extension, they are building a supermarket on your road, developing a plot of land near you etc. A local search doesn't tell you any of this.

A local search only informs you about your property so its best to make your checks as well, check the council website for planning applications that may effect your property in the future.

Cheers, I've already checked the councils planning site. The only thing that is worrying me is that the vendor clearly stated that developers were going to develop the land at the end of the road but the council told them they would have to spend £80K getting the road up to scratch and putting traffic lights up and yet I can find no planning application from any developer or person relating to that plot of land on the planning website so I don't know how the vendor knew this and am worried he was just telling porkies.