WHY WOULD YOU WANT SEARCHES WHEN BUYING A PROPERTY?
Some clients ask “why do we want to waste money on property searches?” Here are a few good reasons why:-
Local Search
This can tell you a lot of information about the property and the area it is in. For example, did you know that trees within a conservation area are protected automatically by a Tree Preservation Order and there are serious penalties for even cutting branches off protected trees without consent. Even more worrying is that in some of our local town developers have in the past built housing estates without following the correct procedure for redirection of public footpaths.
Water and Drainage Search
This will tell you whether there are any public sewers (or water pipes) within the boundaries of the property. Imagine buying your dream home – ready to put an extension on it and finding that the costs of doing that are much more than you had budgeted for because a drain or water pipe runs under the garden just where you wanted to build or even worse you couldn’t build at all.
Environmental Search
This informs you about environmental issues affecting the area around the property. It is usually more informative than fatal to a property purchase but if you are in a potential flood risk zone then it is quite good to find out about it before you purchase rather than when the water is lying on the road that gives access to your property and you cannot get out or in without a boat.
These are good reasons as to why we would always advise any buyer to have searches carried out. The list above is not exhaustive and we are pleased to discuss any information with any prospective buyer.