Property Searches

I would be uneasy too. What is his problem with spending a bit in order to have peace of mind?

Where I used to live there was some farmland known locally as ‘the anthrax site’. Animals who had died during an anthrax outbreak were buried there. Eventually it was developed. It was still known as the anthrax site.

A footpath may not be evident, it may have been long disused, but in law disuse doesn’t extinguish it - hence the local problem. And road proposals don’t have to involve creation of roads through your property in order to adversely affect it,

Your husband is, if I may say so, being extremely foolish. He should take your solicitor’s advice - you’re both paying for it,

I want to get them but he is adamant having spoken to his friend who is a chartered surveyor they are not necessary. To be fair the houses have been built on what was farmland, there is no way a road or train line will be going through. There are no footpaths and the village has never flooded in its history being a cliff village. Houses are being bought and sold all the time so would appear there is nothing untoward being thrown up but I am still uneasy. We are cash buyers so no mortgage company requesting searches.

No survey? Madness.

I agree with GSM.

Relatives of mine are buying a house for just under £1 million and it will be a cash sale. There is no central heating, it will need rewiring replumbing, etc., as I have gathered from the estate agent's photos. The estate agent must think Christmas has come early as they also are not having it surveyed, so I think he is working 24/7 to sell the house to these idiots.

You should always carry out searches. They reveal far more than you might think. Don’t rely on the house being on an estate built 26 years ago. The information available to search companies is constantly being updated. Maybe the estate was built on a former tannery site (anthrax) or a former quarry (subsidence). However that’s only the environmental search, which can also reveal potential flooding of which you’re unaware. The local authority search reveals many relevant matters too, such as road proposals of which you’re unaware, the lack of planning permission for extensions, all manner of things. It won’t however reveal planning applications for nearby properties unless your solicitor expressly asks for them. A house in a village near me has a public footpath running through the garden, disused but still a legal right of way - the owners didn’t do full searches when they bought. Just some examples You buy without these searches at your peril. A mortgage lender would insist on them, for good reason. Penny wise, pound foolish.

The reason mortgage companies require searches is to protect their investment. It doesn’t cost that much and it’s risky to not do them but your choice.