What Property Searches Are Carried Out During Conveyancing?

TL;DR: Property searches carried out during conveyancing typically include a local authority search, a water and drainage search, and an environmental search as standard, with extra searches such as mining, flood or coastal erosion added depending on where the property is. Together they're designed to uncover things about the property and area that a straightforward look around the house would never reveal.

If you've ever wondered why conveyancing seems to take weeks even after your offer is accepted, searches are usually a big part of the answer. Property searches explained simply: they're a set of enquiries sent to local authorities, utility companies and other bodies to check for issues that aren't visible on a viewing — things like planning applications next door, flood risk, or old mining activity underneath the land.

This article goes through the main searches carried out during a typical UK residential purchase, what each one is actually checking for, how long they take, and what happens if one turns something up.

Quick disclaimer before we get into it: I'm a blogger, not a solicitor or licensed conveyancer, so this is general information about how searches typically work, not advice about what searches you personally need. It's usually wise to let your solicitor or licensed conveyancer decide which searches are appropriate for the specific property you're buying, since local risk factors vary a lot across the country.

Table of contents

• Why searches are carried out at all
• Local authority searches
• Water and drainage searches
• Environmental searches
• Chancel repair and other standard extras
• Location-specific searches
• How long searches take and what they cost
• What happens if a search reveals an issue
• FAQs about property searches
• Summary and what to do next

Why searches are carried out at all

A mortgage lender will almost always require certain searches before releasing funds, and even cash buyers are generally well advised to have them done, since they cover risks that simply aren't visible from looking at the property itself. Searches exist to answer questions the seller may not even know the answer to — council records, utility company records and environmental data all sit outside what any homeowner would typically know off the top of their head.

What searches are trying to uncover

• Planning decisions and proposals affecting the property or nearby land
• Whether the property is properly connected to public water and sewers
• Contamination, flooding, or subsidence risk in the area
• Historic mining, quarrying or other ground-stability issues
• Road schemes or compulsory purchase proposals that could affect the property

Who actually asks for the searches

In practice, your solicitor or licensed conveyancer submits the searches on your behalf, usually through a search provider or directly with the relevant authority, rather than you applying for anything yourself. The results come back to them, get reviewed against the rest of the file, and are then either filed as satisfactory or turned into a written enquiry if something needs clarifying. As a buyer, you'll typically only see the searches themselves if you specifically ask for copies, though a good conveyancer will flag anything genuinely significant as it comes in rather than waiting until the end.

Local authority searches

The local authority search (sometimes called LLC1 and CON29) is usually the core search in any purchase. It's submitted to the local council and comes back with information held on their registers about the property and the surrounding area.

What it typically covers

1. Planning history, including any applications, permissions or enforcement notices
2. Building regulations approvals for past work
3. Whether the road outside is publicly maintained
4. Any planned road schemes, compulsory purchase orders, or nearby developments
5. Whether the property is in a conservation area or is a listed building
6. Outstanding notices, such as those relating to unsafe structures

Turnaround varies a lot by council — some return results within days, others can take several weeks, which is one reason overall timelines can be hard to predict.

Why councils vary so much

Some local authorities process searches digitally and can turn results around quickly, while others still rely heavily on manual checks against paper records, which naturally takes longer. This isn't something your conveyancer can really control or speed up beyond choosing a personal search (carried out directly with the council) versus a regulated search from a private provider, each with slightly different trade-offs in speed, cost and the protection they offer if something is missed.

Water and drainage searches

This search is sent to the relevant water company rather than the council, and it confirms how the property is connected to public water supply and sewerage.

What it tells you

• Whether the property is connected to mains water and mains sewerage
• The approximate location of water and drainage pipes serving the property
• Whether any public sewers run under or near the property, which can affect future building work
• Details of the water supplier responsible for billing

Finding out that a planned extension would sit over a public sewer, for instance, is exactly the kind of thing this search is designed to flag before you're committed to the purchase.

Environmental searches

An environmental search draws on historic land use records, flood mapping and contamination databases to flag risks that might not be obvious from the property's current condition.

Typical areas covered

• Contaminated land, based on historic industrial use of the site or nearby land
• Flood risk from rivers, surface water, or coastal sources
• Proximity to landfill sites or waste management facilities
• Ground stability issues, including some overlap with mining searches

Where a risk is flagged, it doesn't automatically mean there's a real problem with the specific property — often it simply means the wider area carries some historic risk, and further investigation narrows things down.

Chancel repair and other standard extras

Chancel repair liability is a genuinely odd, centuries-old rule that can make homeowners near certain old churches liable for a share of the church's repair costs. A chancel repair search (or indemnity insurance in place of one) is still commonly carried out or arranged as standard on many purchases, even though actual claims are rare.

Other extras sometimes bundled in

• Land Registry searches, confirming the seller's title and checking for any last-minute changes
• Bankruptcy searches against buyers using a mortgage, required by lenders
• Company searches, where the seller is a limited company

Location-specific searches

Beyond the standard set, certain searches are only relevant depending on where the property is, and your solicitor or licensed conveyancer will usually recommend these based on the location rather than running them on every purchase.

Common location-specific searches

• Coal mining search: for properties in former coalfield areas, checking for historic workings, shafts or subsidence claims
• Tin, clay or other mineral searches: relevant in specific regions such as Cornwall or Cheshire
• Flood risk search: more detailed than the standard environmental check, for properties near rivers or coastlines
• Coastal erosion search: for properties along stretches of coast identified as at risk
• HS2 or other infrastructure searches: for properties near major planned transport schemes

How your conveyancer decides which extras apply

Rather than guessing, most conveyancers use the property's postcode and known local risk data to work out which additional searches are actually relevant, then explain to you why a particular one is being recommended. It's worth asking, if you're ever unsure why an extra search has appeared on a quote, exactly what it's checking for and why it's considered relevant to that specific property — a reasonable request that any conveyancer should be able to answer clearly.

How long searches take and what they cost

Search costs are usually charged to you as disbursements, meaning they're paid on your behalf by your solicitor or licensed conveyancer and itemised separately from their own legal fee. Costs vary between providers and local authorities, so it's worth asking for an itemised breakdown when you get a quote rather than accepting a single bundled "searches" figure.

Typical turnaround

• Local authority searches: anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the council
• Water and drainage searches: usually returned within a few working days
• Environmental searches: often same-day or next-day, since many are automated
• Location-specific searches: variable, but generally quick once identified as needed

Because local authority turnaround is the least predictable part, many conveyancers submit it as early as possible, sometimes even before the draft contract has been fully reviewed.

Search insurance as an alternative to waiting

In some cases, particularly where a chain is under time pressure, search insurance (sometimes called "no search" insurance) is used as an alternative to waiting for one or more of the standard searches to come back. This is generally a decision made carefully between you, your conveyancer, and sometimes your lender, since it shifts the risk of an undiscovered issue onto an insurance policy rather than removing the underlying question entirely. It tends to come up more often for cash purchases or particularly tight chains than for a typical straightforward sale.

What happens if a search reveals an issue

A search coming back with a flag doesn't automatically mean the purchase is at risk — a lot depends on what's actually found and how significant it turns out to be once looked into properly.

Typical next steps when something is flagged

1. Your conveyancer reviews the specific wording of the search result
2. Further enquiries are raised with the seller's solicitor if clarification is needed
3. Specialist reports may be commissioned (for example, a detailed mining report)
4. Indemnity insurance may be arranged to cover certain historic risks
5. In more serious cases, the price may be renegotiated or the purchase reconsidered

Indemnity insurance in particular is a common, low-cost way of dealing with older, rarely-enforced risks like chancel repair liability, rather than each one needing to be individually investigated and resolved.

FAQs about property searches

Do I have to pay for property searches upfront?
Usually yes — search fees are disbursements paid by your solicitor or licensed conveyancer on your behalf, generally covered by money you pay on account near the start of the process.

Can I skip searches if I'm a cash buyer?
Technically you could, but it's generally considered unwise, since searches cover risks that have nothing to do with how the purchase is funded and could still affect the property's value or your ability to use it as planned.

How long do searches stay valid?
Most lenders and conveyancers treat searches as valid for around six months, though this can vary, and a delayed transaction sometimes needs searches refreshed before completion.

Do all properties need the same searches?
No, the standard set (local authority, water and drainage, environmental) applies broadly, but location-specific searches like mining or coastal erosion only apply to relevant areas.

What if a search takes much longer than expected?
Slow local authority searches are a common cause of delay in conveyancing, and there's often little to do but wait, though some conveyancers can request expedited searches for an extra fee in certain areas.

Will a search reveal problems with the physical condition of the house?
No — searches cover legal, environmental and administrative issues, not the physical condition of the building, which is what a survey is for instead.

Are searches different for new-build properties?
The same core searches generally apply, though a new build may also involve additional checks relating to the developer's title, road adoption agreements, and warranty cover, since these details work slightly differently to an established property.

Can I choose which company carries out my searches?
Usually your solicitor or licensed conveyancer selects the search provider they normally work with, though you can ask about the options available and whether a personal or regulated search is being used for the local authority element.

Summary and what to do next

• Standard property searches usually include local authority, water and drainage, and environmental checks
• Location-specific searches such as mining or flood risk are added depending on where the property sits
• Local authority search turnaround is the least predictable and often drives the overall timeline
• A flagged result doesn't automatically mean a problem — further investigation or indemnity insurance often resolves it
• Searches are separate from a survey, which covers the physical condition of the property instead

This article is general information from a blogger's perspective, not advice about which searches are needed for your specific purchase. Search requirements can vary by lender, location and property type, so it's always worth discussing this directly with a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer.

Need help or have questions?

We can't give legal advice — we're bloggers, not solicitors or licensed conveyancers — but if you've got a general question about how searches work, we're happy to point you in the right direction and have other guides covering related parts of the process.

You can reach us through our contact form on the website using the button below. For advice on which searches your specific purchase needs, please speak to a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer directly.

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Reminder: this site is a blog, not a law firm, and nothing in this article is a substitute for professional legal advice. Always get personalised guidance from a qualified solicitor or licensed conveyancer before making decisions about buying or selling a home.