Property searches, demystified
Conveyancing searches are the formal enquiries your solicitor raises before exchange. Each one answers a specific question about the property. None of them answers all questions. This guide explains what each search covers, what it cannot tell you, how long it takes, and when a specialist search is worth commissioning.
Last reviewed June 2026.
2. Drainage and water search (CON29DW)
The CON29DW is raised with the local water company and covers: whether the property is connected to public water mains and public sewers (or relies on private supply or septic tank); whether public sewers run within the property boundary (which can prevent building over them without consent from the water company); whether the property is in a water meter area; and whether any public sewers or water mains are scheduled for work nearby.
Public sewers within the property curtilage are a significant constraint — building within 3 metres of a public sewer typically requires a Build Over Agreement with the water company, which adds cost and time to any development. The CON29DW reveals whether this applies.
Cost: £50–£80. Timescale: 3–5 working days. Always carried out as a database search, so turnaround is consistent.
What it misses: private drainage (septic tanks, treatment plants, soakaways) — these are confirmed by seller disclosure and a specialist drainage survey if needed. The condition of the drainage system — blockages, tree root intrusion, collapsed pipes — requires a CCTV drain survey, which is separate and not part of the standard search pack.
3. Environmental search
The environmental search is a desktop database search, usually provided by Landmark Information Group or Groundsure, that cross-references the property location against multiple datasets covering: historical land use (industrial sites, landfill, quarrying, petrol stations); contaminated land registers; flood risk (river, sea, surface water, groundwater); ground stability (subsidence, sinkholes); and radon potential.
The result is a risk assessment, not a site investigation. A “low risk” environmental search means no concerning records have been found — it does not mean the land is clean. A “further action recommended” result means a professional ground investigation may be warranted.
Cost: £50–£100 depending on product tier. Timescale: 3–5 working days.
Common sources of contamination that appear on environmental searches: former petrol filling stations (fuel hydrocarbon contamination), dry cleaners (chlorinated solvent contamination), former gas works (coal tar, PAHs), tanneries, metal plating works, and landfill sites. The search does not tell you the severity of contamination — only that a potentially contaminating use occurred at or near the site.
4. Coal Authority search
The Coal Authority maintains records of all past, present, and proposed coal mining in the UK. Their CON29M search identifies whether a property is within a coal mining development high-risk area, whether there are recorded mine entries nearby, whether the property is within a zone of likely surface movement (subsidence), and whether any historic coal mining claims have been made.
Required by most lenders in affected areas. Solicitors use the Coal Authority's postcode-based checker to determine whether a coal search is needed — it is mandatory for properties in South Yorkshire, County Durham, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, South Wales, parts of the West Midlands, and the Central Belt of Scotland (where British Coal operated historically).
Cost: £40–£70. Timescale: 5–10 working days. The Coal Authority has invested in digitising records and turnaround has improved in recent years.
If a coal search reveals a mine entry close to the property, a more detailed site-specific assessment from the Coal Authority may be required before a lender proceeds. Mine entries are sealed, but the void below can cause localised subsidence over time.
5. Chancel repair liability search
Chancel repair liability is an ancient obligation that requires certain landowners to contribute to the cost of repairing the chancel of a nearby Church of England church. It dates from pre-Reformation times and survives in some parishes.
Since 13 October 2013, chancel repair liability must be registered as an overriding interest at HM Land Registry to bind a purchaser for value. Any liability not registered by that date is extinguished on first sale after October 2013. The search confirms whether the property has a registered chancel liability.
Cost of search: £20–£30. Chancel repair indemnity insurance: £20–£50 one-off premium. Given the low cost of insurance, most solicitors recommend purchasing indemnity as a precaution even where the search is clear, since the search only covers registered liabilities and misses any that were registered after the search date.
6. When to commission specialist searches
Beyond the standard pack, specific circumstances warrant additional searches:
See also the searches glossary entry for a plain-English summary of the standard pack.
HS2 search: Required for properties near the HS2 rail route in the West Midlands corridor. The HS2 property search (£35) confirms whether the property falls within a safeguarding area, eligible compensation zone, or the statutory blight zone. Note: HS2 Phase 2 (north of Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds) was cancelled in October 2023. Properties in formerly safeguarded zones under Phase 2 should still commission a search to confirm whether safeguarding directions have been formally lifted by the relevant LPA — cancellation does not automatically remove all restrictions.
Tin and other mining searches: Cornwall, West Devon, and parts of the Lake District have historical tin, copper, and lead mining that leaves voids and contamination not covered by the Coal Authority search. A separate specialist mining search (Landmark or Groundsure specialist product) is advisable.
Brine search: Properties in Cheshire and parts of Worcestershire and East Yorkshire sit over historical brine extraction areas. Brine extraction can cause subsidence over large areas. A specialist brine search is available.
Clay or chalk mining: Some parts of Kent (brick clay), Hertfordshire (flint mines), and Bedfordshire (chalk mines) have historical underground extraction that can cause subsidence. A specialist search is available for high-risk postcodes.
Flood risk assessment: For Zone 2 or Zone 3 properties, or where the environmental search raises concern, a standalone hydrological flood risk assessment (£300–£600) by a specialist provides property-specific context beyond database searches.
7. Personal vs official searches
The local authority search can be obtained as an official search (carried out by the council) or as a personal search (carried out by a licensed search company at the council's records). Both cover the same LLC1 and CON29 questions.
Official searches: carried out by the LPA; any errors are the council's liability (compensation available under Local Land Charges Act 1975). Typically slower.
Personal searches: carried out by an agent; backed by professional indemnity insurance from the search company. Typically faster (same day to 3 days) and can help in a slow local authority. Accepted by all major lenders. The indemnity insurance is of comparable quality for most purposes, but compensation claims can be more complex in the event of an error.
8. What searches collectively cannot tell you
Conveyancing searches are desk-based statutory enquiries. There is a defined set of things no search pack will tell you, regardless of how many searches you commission:
Physical condition: Searches tell you nothing about the structural condition, damp, roof, electrics, or plumbing. Only a RICS survey does this.
Neighbourhood issues: Antisocial behaviour, planning applications on neighbouring sites not yet decided, local planning policy changes being consulted on — none appear in searches. Check the local authority planning portal directly.
Future development: A search shows current designated uses, not future plans. The local plan (available on the council website) shows allocated sites for housing, employment, or infrastructure that could affect the area. For properties near green belt boundaries, check whether the local plan includes allocations for release.
Flight path changes: NATS (National Air Traffic Services) publishes route changes, but airspace redesign proposals are not notified in any search. Eavesdrop checks DEFRA strategic noise mapping to cross-check listing claims about airport noise — this is not covered by any standard search.
Neighbour disputes: The TA6 form asks sellers to disclose disputes with neighbours, but only what they know and choose to declare. Boundary and party wall disputes leave no trace in any search unless a formal notice has been served.