Environmental searches will provide details of the land within the property’s vicinity. It will find out whether the property was built on contaminated land and will be able to highlight whether it is at risk of flooding. These searches are essential when buying a house as the potential buyer is made aware of any problems at the beginning of the conveyancing process and can avoid a large bill further along the process.
Environmental searches will look at such issues as:
- The history of the uses of land in the vicinity of the property
- Whether there are traces of toxic waste or radon gas nearby
- Identifying whether there’s a flood risk in the area
- Identifying the risk of subsidence
We are authorised resellers of both Groundsure and Future Climate Info environmental reports for both residential and commercial properties (including agricultural properties). Please contact us for sample reports and prices.
CASE STUDY:
Contaminated Land
Our industrial heritage and the drive to build on brownfield (previously used) land has meant that increasing numbers of properties have been built on land that could be contaminated. This could affect the value of the property, could lead to adverse health issues and, under current legislation, you could be responsible for paying for the clean-up of that land.
If an Environmental Report shows the contaminated land results as “Action Required”, this does not indicate the purchase should not proceed. Further enquiries can be undertaken of the sellers and other parties to either amend the result, provide further information to make an informed decision or, if appropriate, consider obtaining environmental insurance. Specific recommendations can be found within the Groundsure report.
