House Searches

[wiltsman]

For the first time, since Adam was a lad, I'm now in the position, at long last, to purchase a house without requiring a mortgage.

The forty year old detached house I'm buying is one of around eighty similar prperties built at the same time, and was not built on a brownfeld site. There are no mines in the area, and I know Radon gas is not an issue.

I've now had the following letter from my solicitor, and I'm wondering whether fellow ABers consider having these searches is worthwhile?
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We note that you do not intend to obtain a mortgage over this property. As you are purchasing this property without a mortgage, you can choose whether to incur the cost of having searches carried out. We strongly recommend that you do instruct us to carry out all relevant searches on your behalf for your protection as any adverse entries revealed by these searches may affect the value of the property, your ability to proceed as you wish and the future saleability of the property.

For example:-

1) A Local Search would identify such things as access to the property over public or private roads and any liability to contribute towards the same, any outstanding planning applications or issues that may affect the property (but not neighbouring property) road schemes, compulsory purchase orders and public rights of way.

2) A Water and Drainage Search would identify whether or not the property is connected to the mains water and drainage, whether there are any pipes passing through the property which may affect your ability to extend or giving others right of access to your property to maintain such pipes.

3) A Mining Search would identify whether the property is in the vicinity of any mineshafts which may affect the stability of the property.

4) An Environmental Search would identify whether the property is, among other things, at risk from contaminated land.

[woofgang]

can you afford to get the searches done?

[woofgang]

oh and do you have to have all of them?

[wiltsman]

woofgang - I need to find the costs involved, should have done that before posting this entry.

I note the solicitor gave no indication of what the costs might be!

[Peter Pedant]

er you get a letter about searches being worthwhile
and you immediately wonder if searches are worthwhile

yup deffo AB

I admit I have bought without a search - within a year of buying next door. Otherwise I search

no brainer
some people have too much money

[Peter Pedant]

buying next door on on whom I had spent the money on searches

[Peter Pedant]

they come in at least three difft flavours - cheap mod and exxpensive and the only real thing is what extra you get for expensive

[wiltsman]

Thank you both for your input.

[Paigntonian]

Worth it for peace of mind.

[The Builder]

I've bought without surveys many times, but, unlike PP, I've never bought without searches. There are too many possibilities of legal crawlies coming out of the woodwork. "Restrictive Covenants" are among the worst.

Items 3 and 4 are largely academic, but 1 and 2 are worth having. With eighty properties forty years old you have, to some extent, safety in numbers. But, for the sake of what would only be a few hundred pounds, I would have the searches.

[jno]

__entity__[you get a letter about searches being worthwhile
and you immediately wonder if searches are worthwhile]

PP, the letter actually says "You should hire us to arrange searches", so it's not a bad idea to ask for a second opinion from someone with no financial interest

[jno]

"entity"?