What will a local authority search show

Your local council will help you find which local authority your property resides in. Most Local Authority Searches will take two to three weeks , however this can vary from a few days to several weeks, depending on the local council. In exceptional cases, if a local authority is suffering staff shortages, it it can take six to eight weeks.

An official search form will be sent to them council and although this is usually done electronically, not all councils have digitised their records, which can sometimes cause delays. The best way to stay in the loop with your searches is to keep in regular contact with your conveyancer and query anything you are unsure about.

It is also worth noting that your solicitor may want to make further enquiries based on the results of the searches. Depending on the location of the property, your conveyancer may suggest additional searches, such as a mining search if you are buying a house in a current or former mining area. Costs associated with local authority searches can vary based on a number of factors. Fees YopaHub What customers say Book a free valuation Instant online valuation Our local agent was amazing and we simply do not know what we would have done without him.

G Livesey August Steve Dixon August Request a callback Login Logout. This is the second time I've used Yopa and would use them again, and recommend them to anyone. What does a local authority search include? Whether the property has listed buildings status Any tree preservation orders Any conservation areas since Smoke control areas Conditional planning permissions Community Infrastructure Levy CIL charges a charge made by local authorities on new development in their area.

Article 4 Directions which falls under article 4 of the General Permitted Development Order and enables the withdrawal of specified permitted development rights across a defined area.

This can include: The optional CON29O form seeking information on things like gas pipelines, common land enquiries such as applications for private roads , flood defences and land drainage consents.

Environmental searches which may seek to establish any nearby waste sites or potentially hazardous materials in the vicinity. Waste authority searches to establish the proximity of public sewers within the property boundaries.

A Chancel repair liability check to determine if the buyer will be expected to contribute to the maintenance of any local churches. Mining, energy and infrastructure searches — which are very much dependent on the location of your prospective property as to whether they are required.

How long do local authority searches take? Instant online valuation. Within this section, any works undertaken at the property will be identified. It will show exactly when the works were done and will give your lawyer an understanding of what alterations have been made. This section will show whether the road serving the property has been adopted i. Should this not be case then your lawyer can raise questions in relation to this.

It will also show the location of any public rights of way. The local search will reveal whether the property is located in Conservation area. Should this be the case then it could permit any further development at the property. This could be an issue if you are planning any future works at the property.

If the property is a listed building this will be indicated on the search. The TPO makes it an offence to cut down, uproot, prune, damage or destroy trees without the consent of the local authority. This is a relatively new section which is contained within the local search. This is a levy which can be imposed on new estates and impose a requirement on developers to contribute towards the implementation of roads, schools and public amenities. The above information provides a small insight into the type of information revealed by a local search.

If you require any further information concerning this search, please contact a member of our Residential Property team. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.

These cookies do not store any personal information. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. If a property you may have set your heart on is at risk and uninsurable, this means you may be in danger of overpaying for the property and could mean it is impossible to sell on, especially if mortgage companies will not risk their money on the purchase.

Insurance rating — if the area is known to flood, this will be a useful indicator of whether the insurance is likely to much higher than you have budgeted for.

If you are unsure about the flood risk take advice from your conveyancer, the estate agents and also your RICS surveyor. You may think this is a ridiculous scenario in the 21st Century, but plenty of people have been caught by this issue and it is estimated that around half a million properties in England and Wales could be affected, even if the liability is not mentioned in the title.

What is important is to understand whether the check is thorough enough and goes far enough geographically to be sure you are not liable. Typically a certificate is given confirming there is no risk identified, or it will say there is a liability. What has changed is that the church had to register their interest on the title of properties affected by October This search also known as Rivers Authority search is very similar to the search for chancel repairs.

Some people who own properties, which back onto rivers, canals or streams, will purchase a property with certain rights e. The Canal and River Trust search will advise of what rights you have such as fishing or mooring rights for boats, even being allowed to use the waterways for drainage and to secure water for your own purposes.

However in return for these rights, it may well be that you have to fund the bank and waterway, which passes your property. Alternatively, this part of the river or stream may even not be your property at all and owned by the Environment Agency. This will be fairly specific to your property and if the property you want to buy is near a waterway. What this search will tell you is what rights the local community have to the land you are buying.

They might be able to use it for a footpath or indeed have grazing or rights to run a local fete! These can be secured if required by your legal company or via search companies, but your legal company will normally know if mining searches are required.

What the search looks for is whether there is a problem with the land the property sits on, for example have other addresses nearby made claims? If a specific problem has been identified, it may need further reports to identify the real problem and what needs to be done to free you of the risk, or insure you against it. These searches are made after exchange of contracts to make sure nothing has changed with regard to the property or your ability to purchase the property. The government advises this is applied for five days before completion, to allow time for the official search certificate to arrive.

It is down to the search company depending on how the search is secured and your conveyancer to identify information in the search that may affect your decision as to whether to continue to buy the property or not. These are just some of the things that searches may uncover and, however much you feel the home is perfect for you, searches are essential to take note of to make sure you know as much about the property as possible and the potential risks attached to the purchase.

Your conveyancer, together with the search company, is responsible for finding out as much about the property as they advise you are necessary and you agree to pay for.