So, when you start a purchase transaction, we will be asking you for some money on account to pay for searches. And there are various searches that need to be carried out and some of them are essential and your lender will insist on them if you’re getting a mortgage. So a local authority search is very important because that will tell you about any plans that the council has for the property. For example, any road widening or there may be flyovers or planning in the vicinity. An enviro-search is also important because that will tell you about any factors affecting the environment, like contaminated land, that may affect your property. Also, you’ll be asked to carry out the water and drainage search, which tells you whether the property is on mains drainage and water, and will give you information about where the sewers and drains are. And there’s also a very unusual search which is called a Chancel repair liability search, which, generally, we offer an insurance for because it’s an extremely antiquated and difficult thing to ascertain. This is to do with the dissolution of the monasteries in the 1500s. And then depending on your location of property you’re buying, you may also need a mining search or even China clay or tin mining search if you’re buying in Cornwall. So it does also depend where you’re buying.
