Property Search Guides
What each property search covers, why they matter, and what the results mean for your sale.
Property searches are checks carried out during the conveyancing process to uncover potential issues that could affect a property. They include local authority searches, environmental reports, drainage and water searches, and — in certain areas — mining and flood risk assessments. While searches are typically ordered by the buyer, understanding what they look for and how results might affect your sale puts you in a much stronger position as a seller.
24 guides in this category · View all guides
Property Searches Explained: What They Are and Why They Matter
A plain English guide to the property searches done during a house sale — local authority, drainage, environmental, and more.
Do I Need a Mining Search When Selling My House?
When a coal mining search is required, which areas of the UK are affected, and what happens if the search reveals old mine workings.
What Is a Chancel Repair Search?
Why chancel repair liability still exists, whether your property could be affected, and whether to get a search or take out insurance.
Environmental Search Results Explained for Sellers
How to interpret environmental search results, what contaminated land and flood risk findings mean, and when further investigation is needed.
Drainage Search: What to Expect When Selling
What a drainage and water search reveals, why buyers need it, and what sellers should know about shared drains and public sewers.
Can Sellers Order Property Searches Before Selling?
The pros and cons of ordering upfront property searches as a seller, and whether buyer solicitors will accept them.
Local Authority Search Explained: What It Covers
What a local authority search reveals about your property, including planning, roads, and conservation area information.
Flood Risk Search: What It Means for Selling Your House
How flood risk searches work, what the different flood zones mean, and how to sell a property with a flood risk flag.
Personal Search vs Official Search: What Is the Difference?
The key differences between personal and official local authority searches, including cost, speed, and insurance implications.
How Long Do Property Searches Take?
Typical timescales for property searches in England and Wales, which searches take longest, and how to avoid delays.
What If Property Searches Reveal Problems?
What happens when searches flag issues like flood risk, contamination, or planning restrictions, and how sellers should respond.
Land Registry Search Explained for House Sales
What Land Registry searches reveal, including title ownership, boundaries, and restrictions that might affect your sale.
Search Indemnity Insurance: When Is It Used?
When search indemnity insurance is offered instead of full searches, whether it provides adequate protection, and who pays for it.
Coal Mining Search Areas in the UK: Is Your Property Affected?
Which parts of England and Wales require a coal mining search, how to check if your property is in a mining area, and what the results mean.
Coal Mining Search in South Yorkshire: Do You Need One?
The South Yorkshire coalfield is one of England’s largest. Which areas need a CON29M mining search, what it covers, and how it affects your sale.
HS2 Search: When Is It Needed and What Does It Show?
Whether your property is near the HS2 route, when an HS2 search is required, and how it could affect your sale.
Commons Search Explained: Do You Need One?
What a commons registration search checks for, when it is needed, and what common land or village green status means for your sale.
Property Search Fees: Who Pays and How Much?
A breakdown of what property searches cost, whether the buyer or seller pays, and how fees vary across different local authorities.
Expired Property Searches: Can They Be Renewed?
What happens when property searches expire, how long they remain valid, and whether you can renew them to avoid paying again.
JBA Flood Risk Report Explained
What a JBA flood risk report contains, how it differs from Environment Agency data, and what the risk ratings mean for your sale.
Ground Stability Search: What It Checks and Why It Matters
What a ground stability search reveals about subsidence, clay shrinkage, and other ground risks, and how results could affect your sale.
Property Searches by Council: Which Are Slowest?
How local authority search turnaround times vary across England and Wales, and what you can do if your council is slow.
Council Search Times in Greater Manchester: The Postcode Lottery
Manchester returns searches in 4 days. Bolton takes 62. Here is every Greater Manchester council’s turnaround time and what it means for your house sale.
Coal Mining Search in Durham and Northumberland
County Durham had 234 collieries at nationalisation. Which areas in Durham, Sunderland, and Northumberland need a CON29M mining search for your sale.
Want to get sale-ready now?
Pine helps you complete your legal forms, order searches, and prepare a solicitor-ready pack — before you even list.
Coming soon — join the waitlist for early access
Free to join · No spam, ever · Early access when we launch