Search... and you could avoid costly problems
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Don't even think about skimping on a proper environmental search
when buying a house, says Helen Salt, a conveyancer for Buss Murton
Law.
When buying a property it can be pretty daunting when you find
out about all the different types of searches that can and will be
carried out during the conveyancing process.
But when it comes to environmental searches, they can be
optional but are frequently required by a mortgage lender.
A buyer might consider that there is no need for an
environmental search by looking at the property and the surrounding
area and they might consider that environmental issues are highly
unlikely to affect the property they are buying.
But all property buyers are well-advised to invest in the small
cost of the environmental search, especially due to the history of
different types of mining across the county, as you never know what
may have taken place on or under the land which your home is built
on.
An environmental survey will show what lurks beneath a property
and purchasers could be surprised by the results.
Recently one of my clients who was purchasing a property in
Tunbridge Wells was amazed to discover that their environmental
search had highlighted historical underground work upon the land
that the property was situated.
After further investigations, this actually related to a tunnel
dating back to 1936, which was believed to be used as an air raid
shelter and was thankfully unlikely to cause the new owners any
problems. But if you may be planning to rebuild or extend a
property, you want to make sure you can safely do this and the
environmental survey is one way of doing this.
Land associated with tunnelling and mining cavities can cause
ground instability problems such as subsidence, surface collapses
and even landslides depending on the style of mining used.
Environmental searches also show up many other issues, for
example, past land use or areas of potentially infilled land that
can in some instances cause structural movement. It can also reveal
contaminated land, flooding risks and natural ground
subsidence.
With land being at a premium, many homes have been built on
brownfield land and therefore it is really important to know what
the land may have been used for in the past or what activity may
have taken place underground. It is worth having as much
information as possible, because it is you that must make the
right, fully-informed decision, when purchasing a property.
Helen Salt is conveyancing executive for Buss Murton Law. For
more information see www.bussmurton.co.uk
Thursday, February 09 2012
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