What are Searches & Surveys when you are buying a Property?

Buying a property is an exciting but often stressful time. There is a lot to think about and a lot that can go wrong, and you want to be sure that the property you’re buying has no hidden nasty surprises for you in the future. This is why the conveyancing process exists – to ensure buyers can make informed decisions about whether to proceed with the purchase or not.

Searches and surveys are an important part of the conveyancing process as they aim to uncover information about the property that helps you to decide whether you want to buy it.

Property Searches

What are they?

Property searches are designed to reveal information about the property and its surroundings.

There are 3 main types of searches:

• Local Authority
  This search is carried out by the local council to show whether anything adverse has been registered against the particular property, such as enforcement notices and public rights of way, and matters relating to the property, such as planning permissions and building regulations approvals, and what the local area is like and any issues there may be locally, such as conservation areas.
• Land Registry
  This search confirms who the legal owner of the property is and whether there are any claims or charges against it.
• Environmental
  This search identifies any possible environmental risks that could affect the property, today or in the future, such as flood risks or contaminated land.

Who pays for them?

The potential buyer pays for the searches to be conducted by their conveyancer.

Surveys

What are they?

Surveys highlight the condition of a property, and this information is used to decide whether to buy the property or not or to negotiate on the price if issues are revealed.

There is no obligation to have a survey carried out – it is the buyer’s decision. However, it is normally sensible to have an independent survey completed on a potential property purchase.

If you’re using a mortgage to buy a property, your mortgage lender will conduct their own survey to assess the property’s value. This survey won’t go into detail about the state of the property, though.

There are 3 levels of survey:

• Home Survey
  This is the most basic survey, usually used for modern properties that aren’t expected to have many issues as there isn’t much detail within these surveys.
• HomeBuyer Survey
  This survey contains more information and usually advises on the repairs that are probably needed.
• Full Structural
  This survey is in-depth, detailing the structure and condition of the property. It is most suitable for older properties or those in poor condition, or if you have any major concerns about the property.

Whichever survey you decide to go for, make sure you instruct a surveyor who is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) or the Residential Property Surveyors Association (RPSA).

Are Searches & Surveys the same?

No – they are designed for different purposes and are carried out differently too.

Searches are carried out by conveyancers on behalf of buyers to reveal the legal information about the property and provide the necessary information to enable the buyer to make an informed decision.

Surveys look at the condition of a property and are usually conducted by mortgage lenders or an independent survey company rather than a conveyancer.

Helping you with your Property Purchase

Our property solicitors are here to help with every stage of the conveyancing and property purchase process – for more information on the process and what you can expect as both a buyer or a seller, you can read our guide to the conveyancing process.

You can also speak to one of our professional solicitors about your property purchase. Please contact us at our Chorlton office on 0161 860 7123 or email chorlton@hlfberry.com or at our Failsworth office on 0161 681 4005 or email failsworth@hlfberry.com and we will be happy to help.

Learn more about our conveyancing process and fees here