Solicitors Fees: Extra Checks?

Adamc

Hi all We have had the following quotation for solicitors fees:

£1097 for:

Solicitor's time charges (£696)
Local search
Mining search
Drainage search
Land registry search
Bankruptcy search
Environmental search


They have recommended we have the following extras:

Commons search.
Planning history search.
Ground stability report.
Flood report.
Energy and infrastructure search.

A homebuyer's report (to be arranged by ourselves).

Would you go for all of the above. Apologies first time buyer here.

TamsinC

sounds good to me

Adamc

TamsinC wrote: »

sounds good to me

So you recommend undertaking the extra check at additional cost?

TamsinC

If you want to be sure every thing is good in that area, yes. Your choice if you don't but if it floods you cant say the solicitor should have warned you. Or if a housing estate is built blocking your view etc. etc. etc

Why spare a couple of hundred when spending a couple of hundred thousand. Better safe than sorry.

AND depending on the house I would go for more than a homebuyers report.

Beenie

I am curious about a 'ground stability report'.

The only way to know is to engage a structural engineer who will arrange for test drilling. We have had this done (two shafts drilled down to 15 meters) and it cost £900 +VAT. So it's a big extra expenditure if that is indeed what the solicitor is recommending.

glentoran99

£130 here https://www2.groundstability.com/miningreports/non-residential/ground-stability/

Beenie

OK. Looks like that's for mining areas only.

We are not in a mining area but somewhere with a lot of clay in the region, and don't want the shock of subsidence with our planned extension. That's why the test drilling was recommended.

Adamc

In terms of the extras - would you recommend all of them?

davidmcn

Do you understand what they actually provide? (and what your "compulsory" searches include)

For example, I expect a planning history search won't contain any more information than you can get yourself for free from the council's website. Desktop searches for things like ground stability aren't particularly specific (look for previous threads here discussing vague results).

G_M

Impossible for us to advise without knowing

* the property
* the area
* your attitude tto risk
etc

There's no 'right' answer!

But the obvious point is you need to understan what information these searches will give you. Onl then can you decide whether you want them.

Google! Or


http://www.mypropertyguide.co.uk/articles/display/10036/what-are-property-searches.htm


https://www.homewardlegal.co.uk/blog/what-are-property-searches

davemorton

glentoran99 wrote: »

£130 here https://www2.groundstability.com/miningreports/non-residential/ground-stability/

Thats none residential.
£44.99 for residential (starting from and +VAT)
https://www2.groundstability.com/miningreports/residential/ground-stability/