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Searches & Legal

The technical middle of the transaction, where most delay happens.

Between an accepted offer and exchange of contracts sits the technical middle of a transaction: property searches, the title, and the enquiries a buyer's conveyancer raises. It is where most of the waiting happens, and the part buyers and sellers are least often told about.

A property search is a records check, not an inspection. The local authority search, the drainage and water search and an environmental report apply to almost every purchase; others, such as a coal mining search, depend on where the house is. The local authority search usually sets the pace, and how quickly it comes back depends on the council.

The guides here explain which searches are done, what each one tells you, how long they take, what they cost and how long they stay valid, so you can read the results with your conveyancer rather than just paying for them.

Property searches explained

Local authority, drainage, environmental, coal: the searches a conveyancer orders before you can exchange, what each one actually tells you, why the list changes depending on where the house is, and how long they stay valid.