Conveyancing Searches: What They Are, What They Cost and What Affects How Long They Take

Conveyancing searches are checks your solicitor makes on a property with the local council, the water company and other bodies before you commit to buying. They can turn up things a viewing never would: a planned road, a missing planning permission, a public sewer under the garden or a flood risk. Your mortgage lender will usually insist on them.

Your solicitor orders the searches once you instruct them, and GOV.UK notes you usually pay for them up front.

The three main searches

Local authority search

This comes from the council and has two parts:

• The local land charges search (LLC1) shows restrictions registered against the property, such as a listed building, a conservation area, a tree preservation order or conditions on a planning permission. In many areas this register is now held by HM Land Registry rather than the council.
• Enquiries of the local authority (CON29) cover the planning and building control history, whether the road outside is maintained by the council, planned road or rail schemes nearby, and notices such as enforcement or contaminated land notices.

Drainage and water search

This comes from the water company (CON29DW). It shows whether the property is connected to the public sewer and mains water, whether a public sewer runs within the boundary, which can limit building an extension over it, and whether the water supply is metered.

Environmental search

This report looks at the land around the property: past industrial use and contaminated land, flood risk, and ground stability such as subsidence. Some reports also cover radon and other environmental risks.

Other searches that may apply

Depending on where the property is, your solicitor may also advise:

• A coal mining search, in former coalfield areas.
• Other mining searches, such as tin mining in parts of Cornwall or brine extraction in parts of Cheshire.
• A chancel repair search, about an old liability some properties have to contribute to the repair of a parish church.
• Searches for major infrastructure projects, such as a new railway line, where the route runs nearby.

Your solicitor decides which apply from the property's location and what the main searches show.

How much do searches cost?

In our quotes, the Search Pack (estimated) is £265. It is an estimate: the council and the search providers set the prices, the council's part varies from area to area, and some areas need an extra search. We confirm the exact figure once we know the property.

The searches are part of the disbursements on a purchase: third-party costs we pay on your behalf, shown apart from our legal fee. Our typical disbursements on a purchase are £319 to £341 for one or two people, including VAT where it applies. They cover the searches, bankruptcy and identity checks, a Land Registry priority search, a source-of-funds check and portal charges, and every item is listed in your quote.

See our fees page for our legal fees, or the conveyancing cost calculator for the figure at your price. Our guide to solicitor fees for buying a house goes through the whole bill line by line.

How long do searches take?

It depends mainly on the council. Drainage and environmental reports come from the water company and specialist providers. The local authority search depends on how quickly the council deals with it, and that varies from council to council. We tell you when each search is back and what it shows.

Searches run alongside the other early work, such as checking the contract and the title, so they are rarely the only thing a purchase is waiting for. Our guide to how long it takes to buy a house shows where they fit.

GOV.UK also notes that searches are only valid for a certain number of months, so on a long-running purchase some may need to be done again.

Do you need searches if you are buying with cash?

There is no legal requirement to have searches, but without them you buy without knowing what they would have shown, and you take that risk. If you later sell, your buyer's solicitor will order their own searches, and anything they show could affect your sale.

You may be offered search indemnity insurance instead. It covers a loss in value caused by certain matters a search would have revealed, but it does not tell you what is there, and not every lender accepts it. Your solicitor can explain whether it suits your purchase.

What happens if a search finds something?

Most searches come back with nothing that stops a purchase. When one raises a question, your solicitor explains what it means for you and what can be done. Depending on the issue, that might mean:

• asking the seller's solicitor for more information, such as a missing planning permission or building control certificate
• asking for indemnity insurance to cover a specific risk
• getting a specialist report, for example on flood risk
• going back to the seller about the price
• deciding not to go ahead, before you exchange contracts

That is why searches are done before exchange: until then, you can still walk away.

Questions people ask

Who carries out searches when buying a house?

Your solicitor or conveyancer orders them from the council, the water company and specialist search providers, then reads the results and reports to you.

What are the three main searches?

The local authority search, the drainage and water search, and the environmental search. Your solicitor may add others depending on where the property is.

Are searches included in conveyancing fees?

Not in ours. Searches are a disbursement, a third-party cost paid on your behalf, and are shown separately from our legal fee. They are part of the typical £319 to £341 of disbursements on a purchase.

Does the seller pay for searches?

Usually the buyer pays, because the searches are for the buyer's and the lender's protection.

Buying a home?

Our page for solicitors for buying a house explains each step we take, from the searches to registering you as the owner. To see what happens once the searches are back, read our guide to what a conveyancer does, or see all our conveyancing services.

Sources

Searches, who orders them, paying up front and how long they are valid: gov.uk/government/publications/how-to-buy-a-home/how-to-buy

Local land charges held by HM Land Registry: gov.uk/search-local-land-charges

Our Search Pack and disbursements: our fee scale, checked 20 October 2026. Published ranges: our fees page.

This is general information about buying property in England and Wales, not advice on your purchase. Which searches you need depends on the property and where it is.