Conveyancing Guide to Searches Used by Solicitors in the Conveyancing Process
Conveyancing Searches are an integral part of the house buying process. This Conveyancing Guide provides valuable information as to the role of conveyancing searches used by Solictors in the Conveyancing Process.
The Home Information Pack provided by house sellers when the property is placed on the market include important conveyancing searches and can be viewed by house buyer's on request prior to agreeing a purchase price for a house or flat.
Conveyancing Searches Questions Answered
What are Conveyancing Searches?
Conveyancing Solicitors Searches are:
- A list of answers to questions asked of a property related authority
- Used by Conveyancing Solicitors, Property Lawyers and Conveyancers
- Provide valuable information about the legal history of the land and building on the property
- Extracted from statutory registers maintained by public and private authorities such as the Local Council, Water and Drainage Authorities and Mining Authorities
- Often provided at the outset of the conveyancing process in the Home Information Pack provided by the property seller
What are Search Fees?
- Cost of conveyancing searches
- Paid to organisations such as the Local Council, Water and Sewarage provider, Mining Authority, Environmental Information Provider for information contained in the search result
- Some conveyancing searches will be required in all flat and house purchases involving a Mortgage Lender
- Can be lessened by use of the conveyancing searches contained in the Home Information Pack
- Usually paid by house sellers to their chosen Home Information Pack (HIPs) provider or by house buyers to their Solicitor or Conveyancer
- Search Fees are the amount payable for the conveyancing searches and are payable to the relevant authority for providing Information
What types of Conveyancing Searches will the house I am buying need?
The amount and type of conveyancing searches recommended to be carried out for a particular house purchase or mortgage will depend upon a number of factors such as location, age, property type and the Home Information Pack (HIPs) provided by the house sellers.
Are Conveyancing Searches really important? What am I actually paying for?
The results of the conveyancing searches either contained in the Home Information Pack (HIPs) or carried out by the house buyers conveyancing solicitors contain very important and valuable information. This information can include:
- The property has been constructed with all legal permissions and consents in place
- All alterations and extensions at the property have been carried out with the appropriate legal permissions and consents and comply with building regulations for safety purposes
- Provide details of past, present or future planning issues affected the property
- Correct and legal provision for water and drainage to the property exist
- Provide information relating to future plans for road, rail and other public transport issues that could affect the house
- Provide information to be compared with that obtained by the surveyor to clarify any concerns raised with regards to value of the property
- Potentially save house buyers thousands of pounds in costs should adverse results be revealed in a conveyancing search
Will I need to pay for Conveyancing Searches if there is a Home Information Pack for the property?
That will depend of the quality, number and date of the searches provided in the Home Information Pack (HIPs) by the seller and also upon your financial arrangements for the purchase of the house or flat. Mortgage Lenders always require all searches a prudent solicitor would deem necessary to lend sums to be secured on a house or flat purchase. As part of our Solicitors house buying process our clients are informed immediately upon receipt of the Home Information Pack if any additional searches are required and of the conveyancing costs implications in this regard.
Conveyancing Search Types - Click the following Conveyancing Glossary links for more information on the most common kinds of search used in the conveyancing process:
- Conveyancing Glossary Terms - The Local Search
- Conveyancing Glossary Terms - Drainage Search
- Coneyancing Explained - Drainage Search
- Conveyancing Glossary Terms - Environmental Search
- Conveyancing Glossary Terms - Coal Authority Search
- Conveyancing Glossary Terms - Chancel Search
Conveyancing Fees Calculator
Get an estimate of the conveyancing Fees for Buying, Selling, Buying and Selling or Remortgage or Transfer of Equity using our conveyancing fees calculator. Try to provide all the required information, it will help to ensure the accuracy of the estimate for your conveyancing fees.