Search pack costs
Commonly around £250–£450 for core local, drainage and environmental searches.
What changes this cost
- Local authority turnaround and package scope can vary by area.
- Extra specialised searches can increase cost.
- Urgency and third-party ordering routes can add fees.
Understanding search pack costs
Conveyancing searches are enquiries your solicitor makes with local authorities and other bodies to uncover anything that could affect the property or its value. They are ordered early in the process and are one reason conveyancing takes several weeks. The three core searches are the local authority search, the drainage and water search, and the environmental search, and together they typically cost £250 to £450.
The local authority search (around £100 to £250, depending on the council) reveals planning permissions, building control history, road schemes, conservation area status and enforcement notices. The drainage and water search (around £50 to £80) confirms whether the property connects to mains water and public sewers and where the pipes run. The environmental search (around £35 to £60) checks for contaminated land, flood risk, ground stability and nearby landfill.
Depending on the area and property, your solicitor may recommend extra searches: a coal or tin mining search in former mining regions, a chancel repair search, a flood risk report, or a commons registration search. Each adds roughly £20 to £100. A mortgage lender will usually insist on the core searches, and even a cash buyer is strongly advised to have them, because they surface problems that are invisible on a viewing.
Search results are time-sensitive. Most lenders will only accept searches that are less than six months old at completion, so if a purchase drags on they may need to be repeated. Personal search companies can sometimes provide results faster and more cheaply than the official local authority route, though some lenders prefer official searches. Ask your solicitor what is included and how long turnaround is expected to take.
Add this to your completion budget
Use the links below to load practical calculator scenarios and adjust to your live quotes.
Frequently asked questions
What searches do I need when buying a house?
The three core searches are the local authority search, the drainage and water search, and the environmental search. Depending on the location your solicitor may also recommend mining, flood or chancel repair searches.
How much do conveyancing searches cost?
The core search pack usually costs £250–£450 in total. Additional specialised searches add roughly £20–£100 each.
Are property searches compulsory?
If you have a mortgage, your lender will require the core searches. Cash buyers are not obliged to have them but are strongly advised to, because searches reveal issues such as flood risk, contaminated land and planning problems that a viewing cannot.
How long do property searches take?
Most searches come back within one to three weeks, but local authority turnaround varies widely by council and can be the main cause of delay in a purchase. Ordering searches promptly after offer acceptance helps keep the timeline on track.
Do searches expire?
Yes. Most mortgage lenders require searches to be no more than six months old at completion. If a transaction takes longer than that, some searches may need to be refreshed at additional cost.
Related planning pages
Written and reviewed by James Whitfield and the HomeBuyingCosts editorial team.
Stamp duty, LBTT and LTT figures are checked against GOV.UK, Revenue Scotland and GOV.WALES. We explain every cost of buying a home in plain English, with worked examples. Editorial standards · About us