Property searches when buying a home in the UK

What searches are for

Searches do not replace a survey. They check the legal and administrative position of the property; a survey checks the building. Your conveyancer decides which searches the file needs and orders them. Your mortgage lender may require some of them. See conveyancing explained.

England and Wales

Local authority search. GOV.UK describes it this way: “These searches tell you about any restrictions relating to the land or property.” It does not tell you about development on a neighbour’s land, so the guide advises thinking about what might be built nearby.

Other searches. GOV.UK says other searches may be advised case by case, “such as flood risk or a mining report”. Your conveyancer will say which apply to the area.

Where the local land charges now sit. Responsibility for the English and Welsh local authority registers of local land charges has been transferred to HM Land Registry under the Infrastructure Act 2015. HM Land Registry is building a national local land charges service, and councils join on set dates. The HM Land Registry programme page was updated on 14 October 2026 and gives dates for councils still joining. In practice, the official search of the register for your property may come from HM Land Registry or from the council, depending on whether that council has joined. Your conveyancer handles the choice.

Land Registry searches. You can search the register for a property in England or Wales yourself, even if you do not own it: the title register costs £7, the title plan £7, and official copies (needed as proof of ownership) £11 per document (GOV.UK). See the title register guide.

Scotland

The mygov.scot pages I read do not list the searches themselves. They say that your solicitor inspects the deeds to confirm the seller owns the property, identifies unusual conditions and reports any burdens or obligations affecting the land. They also say that search fees and Registers of Scotland fees are among the government fees counted as outlays, separate from the solicitor’s fees. The Home Report’s property questionnaire, completed for the seller, covers matters such as past damage, alterations, notices affecting the home and the council tax band (see the Home Report guide). Ask your solicitor which enquiries they will make for your property and what they will cost.

Northern Ireland

The Land Registry holds registered land, and the Registry of Deeds holds documents for land that is not yet registered. For registered land, a search shows the folio: the current registered owner and any rights or charges affecting it, with previous owners and charges since first registration (nidirect). If the land is unregistered, the Land Registry holds nothing and the Registry of Deeds must be searched instead. Registry of Deeds records from 1 January 1990 can be searched at Land & Property Services offices.

At present, nidirect says it is not possible to do an online search: requests are made by email, telephone or in person, with the postal address. Fees listed by nidirect: £5.00 to inspect each folio, map or instrument, £7.00 for an uncertified copy of a folio, and £17.00 for a certified copy.

The Law Society of Northern Ireland adds that the buyer’s solicitor looks at issues from searches such as boundaries and planning permission, and that the surveyor comments on things like flooding.

Timing

GOV.UK says searches are only valid for a certain number of months. If the purchase is delayed, ask whether searches need to be refreshed and who pays.

Which professional to consult

A conveyancer orders and interprets searches. A surveyor covers flooding and the physical risks that a search report cannot assess.