Coal mining searches when buying a home in the UK: reports, costs and subsidence claims

Who runs the coal mining records

The Coal Authority now operates as the Mining Remediation Authority, an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero. GOV.UK pages use both names. It holds the coal mining records, sells mining reports and handles coal mining subsidence claims, under the Coal Mining Subsidence Act 1991 and the Coal Industry Act 1994.

What a coal mining report tells you

The search site offers other reports at a higher price, some combining coal mining with general subsidence, environmental or flood risk information. See flood risk when buying for the flood side.

Steps when buying

1. Check the postcode. The search service at groundstability.com is free; you need the postcode and the property’s boundaries. Without a postcode, an interactive map shows whether a wider area is affected.
2. Order the report if the check says so. A solicitor or conveyancer usually does this with the other property searches. Without internet access, the Mining Remediation Authority can search and order by phone on 0345 762 6848 (Monday to Friday, 8:45am to 5pm).
3. Read the findings with your conveyancer before exchange. A recorded hazard does not mean the home is unsafe, but it may call for a survey or specialist advice, and it can matter to your lender.
4. Plan any building work separately. A CON29M is basic conveyancing information. GOV.UK says it should not be used to inform a coal mining risk assessment for development.

Extensions and building work in a high risk area

GOV.UK guidance for householders says you must check for mining risks if your home is in a development high risk area, which covers many former coal mining areas of England, Scotland and Wales. Points to know:

• Many extensions need no planning permission but still need building regulations approval; the planning authority or building control body can ask for a coal mining risk assessment, prepared by a qualified professional. See planning permission and building regulations when buying.
• The Mining Remediation Authority does not sign off householder proposals and is not consulted on householder planning applications. The homeowner is responsible for making the work safe and stable.
• A permit from the Authority is needed before work that could disturb coal seams or affect old workings or mine entries, including foundations or new drainage. Removing any coal needs an incidental coal agreement.
• Mine gas should be assessed by a qualified specialist where there is a risk; the Authority does not carry out gas risk assessments.
• Any mining feature found during work should be reported at once on the 24-hour hazard line, 0800 288 4242.

Historic enquiries (Coal Authority fees page): a formal letter confirming plans approval for structural precautions covenants costs £168 including VAT, and a search of land ownership history £180 including VAT.

Claiming for subsidence damage

GOV.UK says you may be able to claim for damage caused by coal mining, such as cracked plaster, sticking doors, structural damage or ground collapse:

1. Find out whether the damage is due to coal mining; a chartered surveyor can do this.
2. Fill in the damage notice form and send it to the Mining Remediation Authority.
3. An engineer inspects. If the claim is accepted, the damage is fixed or compensated. The decision usually comes within 90 days, and a successful claimant may also recover a surveyor’s fees.
4. If you disagree, the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR) can review the claim. For an owner claiming on a domestic property, the Householder Arbitration Scheme costs £96.

Other ground stability regimes. GOV.UK planning guidance notes that subsidence from past brine pumping in a defined area of Cheshire is dealt with by the Cheshire Brine Subsidence Compensation Board, separately from coal.

Which professional to consult

A conveyancer orders the coal mining report with the other searches and explains it before exchange. A surveyor can assess cracking or movement, and a chartered surveyor can establish whether damage comes from coal mining before a claim. Your mortgage adviser can tell you how a lender treats a recorded mine entry. For building work in a high risk area, GOV.UK points to advisers qualified in earth science, ground engineering, mine engineering or structural engineering.