When buying property or land, your solicitor or conveyancer will undertake some legal searches. They will make enquiries of different agencies for anything that is linked to the property that could cause you problems further down the line. Conducting a legal search will bring you peace of mind when investing in what is usually one of the biggest investments we make in our lifetime.
Land Searches
When engaged in conveyancing Bromley firms will send a request to the local authority, which will search entries in the local land register. This might bring up orders such as tree preservation orders or nearby planned and authorised building projects such as a housing estate or lorry park. It will also reveal previous planning applications for the land or property or if your garden or land includes a public right of way.
Registry Searches
The Land Registry search is one the most important documents, as it will confirm the current ownership of the property and its extent. It is a document that your lender will require to see before they release the finance for a mortgage on the property. It will also reveal any restrictions that could affect the enjoyment of the property, such as the right for service companies to access your property for maintenance of their own equipment – for example, electrical wiring maintenance or telephone line repairs.
Environmental Searches
This search is another legal search that will be conducted by the best conveyancing solicitors Bromley has to offer. Many older properties come with attached land, so these environmental searches will bring up anything that could affect the property such as landfill, flooding or even contaminated land. This search will also confirm the service connections such as the water supply and sewage, meter placement and billing.
How Long Do Legal Searches Take?
There are many factors affecting property searches. For example, a new-build will have the most up-to-date information available, so searches could be quicker to complete, whereas an older property might have historical attachments to the property or land itself such as a public right of way.
Legal searches might seem like another delay in your house purchase journey, but they are an essential part that will give you peace of mind when you final agree to buy.