A Local Authority Search is usually submitted by your conveyancer / lawyer. The search will be submitted to the appropriate Local Authority and will ask about any details relating to planned development in the immediate area & disputes and road works that might affect the property.

The search will also make enquiries about whether the property is likely to have been built on land affected by mining or has a history of flooding.

Various rights might affect your property, such as public rights of way and easements for utility companies, such as power cables and telephone wires. You will also want to make sure that your property is not subject to other rights or obligations that might be discovered by searching Commons Registration or making an Environmental Search, Mining Search, Land Charge Register, etc.

In addition to searches, your conveyancer will also be making preliminary enquiries of the owner to establish the property’s history. It is important to do all you can to weed out any potential problems as the general legal assumption when buying property, namely ‘Caveat Emptor’ or ‘Buyer Beware’!

Contact us for more information or to speak to an advisor.