Conveyancing searches explained: which ones a buyer needs

Guide · 27 October 2026

Once your offer on a home is accepted, your solicitor or licensed conveyancer starts asking questions about the property that the seller cannot be expected to answer from memory. Many of those answers come from "searches": formal enquiries to the council, the water company and specialist data providers about the land and what surrounds it. This guide explains what each of the usual searches covers, why they matter, and which ones are normally needed. It is written for England and Wales, with notes on Scotland and Northern Ireland at the end.

Why searches matter

In England and Wales the general rule when buying property is often summed up as "buyer beware". The seller must answer the property information forms honestly, but it is up to the buyer to find out about many things that affect the land, such as a planned road, a tree preservation order or an unadopted lane. Once you exchange contracts you are committed, so problems need to be found before that point.

If you are buying with a mortgage, your lender will normally insist on certain searches, because the property is its security. Even if you are buying without a mortgage, it is rarely wise to skip them. Some solicitors offer search indemnity insurance instead of searches in particular cases, but that only covers certain financial losses; it does not tell you anything about the property.

The local authority search

This is the search most people have heard of. It has two parts.

• LLC1, the local land charges search. Local land charges are restrictions and obligations registered against land by public bodies: for example tree preservation orders, conservation area designations, listed building status, planning conditions, some financial charges for work the council has carried out, and smoke control orders. Many councils' registers have moved to a national register run by HM Land Registry; for those areas the LLC1 result comes from there.
• CON29, the enquiries of the local authority. This is a standard set of questions answered by the council, covering things like planning and building control decisions, whether the roads serving the property are adopted (maintained at public expense), nearby road and rail schemes, compulsory purchase, contaminated land notices, and certain notices served on the property.

There is also CON29O, a list of optional enquiries that your conveyancer can add when they are relevant. Examples include whether the land is registered as common land or a town or village green, public paths near the property, and pipelines. Your conveyancer decides which optional questions are worth asking, often based on the location.

The local authority search only tells you about the property itself and, for some questions, its immediate surroundings. It will not usually tell you about a planning application on a field down the road, so it is worth looking at the council's planning register yourself as well.

The drainage and water search

Usually called CON29DW, this is answered by the water and sewerage company for the area. It confirms whether the property is connected to the public water supply and the public foul sewer, whether surface water drains to the public sewer, where the nearest public sewers and water mains run, and whether any public sewer runs within the boundary.

That last point matters if you are thinking of extending. Building over or close to a public sewer usually needs the water company's agreement, and in some cases it can block or add cost to an extension. The search also shows whether the property is billed on a meter or on rateable value, which helps you estimate bills.

If the home is not on mains drainage, for example it uses a septic tank or a small treatment plant, the search will show that, and there are separate rules about what those systems must meet. Ask the seller for details and records of emptying and maintenance.

The environmental search

An environmental search is a desktop report from a commercial data provider. It brings together maps and records about past and present land use and natural hazards near the property. A typical residential report looks at:

• contaminated land and past industrial uses on or near the site
• historic and current landfill and waste sites
• flood risk from rivers, the sea, surface water and groundwater
• ground stability, such as subsidence, shrinking and swelling clay and landslides
• radon, a natural radioactive gas found in some areas
• sometimes energy infrastructure, such as oil and gas licences or wind farms, and transport projects

Most reports give an overall pass or "further action" result. A further action result does not mean you should walk away; it means the provider found something that deserves a closer look, and your conveyancer will advise on the next step. Our guides to flood risk and to landfill, contaminated land and mining go into these in more detail.

Chancel repair liability

In some parishes in England and Wales, the owners of land that was once part of a church rectory estate can be asked to pay towards repairing the chancel of the parish church. It is an old liability, but it has been enforced in modern times. Since 13 October 2013, for registered land, a buyer is generally only bound by it if it has been protected by an entry on the title register. Your conveyancer will check the title and, depending on the property and the lender, may order a chancel check or recommend a low-cost indemnity policy.

Mining searches

Where a property is in an area affected by coal mining, a coal mining report (often referred to as CON29M) is ordered from the Mining Remediation Authority, previously called the Coal Authority. It reports on past and present underground and opencast workings, recorded mine entries such as shafts, subsidence claims and any notices. Mine workings can cause ground movement long after mining has stopped, which is why lenders often require this report in coalfield areas.

Other kinds of mining have their own searches. In Cornwall and parts of west Devon, for example, a tin and metal mining search is common, and in Cheshire a brine search may be needed because of past salt extraction. Your conveyancer will know what is usual locally.

Other searches you may come across

• Planning and nearby development searches, which look for applications and major projects around the property.
• HS2 and other infrastructure searches, where a property is near a route or safeguarded area.
• Highways searches, where the extent of the adopted road matters, for example for access or a new driveway.
• Flood searches, which can be ordered on their own where flood risk is the main concern.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Scotland the system is different. The seller provides a Home Report, and the seller's solicitor normally obtains a Property Enquiry Certificate from the council along with searches in the property and personal registers. In Northern Ireland, solicitors obtain Property Certificates from the council and other statutory bodies, with other searches as needed. In both, water, mining and environmental questions can still arise, and your solicitor will advise.

Timing and cost

Search fees are usually listed in your conveyancer's quote as disbursements, and they vary between councils and providers. Local authority searches take longer in some areas than others. A search result is a snapshot on the date it was produced, so if a purchase drags on for many months, your conveyancer or lender may want it updated.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and practice change, and every purchase is different, so check with your conveyancer.