What is a personal search agent?

A personal search agent covers a lot of miles, and takes a lot of time and effort in obtaining the correct information for your client. Through years of experience we find that in the majority of cases we can complete our search in a quicker timescale and for much less cost than the Official Search.

Who does a local authority search?

There are two types of local authority searches – official and personal. With an “official” search, forms are sent directly to the local authority and council staff conduct the search from the Local Land Charges Register.

Can you do a local authority search yourself?

You can also conduct a personal search yourself for free, but this is not recommended as local reports require specialist knowledge to execute a search properly.

How long do personal searches take when buying a house?

Official Searches The environmental search usually takes between 24 and 48 hours. The slowest local authority at the time of writing is Camden in Greater London, taking on average 50 working days. It is not however uncommon for searches (especially personal searches) to take 24 hours to process.

What is a local authority personal search?

A Regulated (Personal) Local Authority Search provides the same information as a Council (Official) Local Authority Search, but is put toghether by a search agent affiliated with the Council, rather than being supplied directly by the Local Authority.

Do lenders accept personal searches?

Most regulated personal searches come with an indemnity insurance to insure against errors or omissions. Search agents are now the more preferred source of local authority searches and the majority or mortgage lenders accept the detail provided in them.

How long does a personal local authority search take?

The official local authority search tends to be the most time-consuming, taking anywhere between two and six weeks, depending on how quickly the local authority can work.

How long do local authority searches take to come back?

It may take as little as 48 hours to get the results back, but it may also take up to 10 weeks! You can make sure your land registry and local searches are carried out as quickly as possible when instructing your conveyancer. You can also protect yourself by taking out Indemnity Insurance.

What is a personal local search?

Can I speed up local authority searches?

How can I speed up a local search? To help speed up local searches, make sure you instruct your conveyancing solicitor to start local searches as soon as your offer has been accepted. Some industry experts are advising sellers to order searches (with the issue of getting the buyer to pay for the cost at a later date).

Are personal searches quicker?

Personal searches, widely known as Regulated Local Authority Searches, have become far more popular, and are frequently quicker and cost less to perform than the traditional Council Local Authority Search. Even so, there are still many professionals who are hesitant when it comes to commissioning a regulated search.