The local authority search

When buying a house your solicitor will make a "local authority search" to check against any plans which might affect the property you are interested in. This involves going through the council records to ensure there are no hidden suprises, such as a dual carriageway at the bottom of your garden, or plans to turn your quaint corner shop into a hypermarket.

The search looks for planning proposals, changes to road layouts, building developments and alterations to land use or public rights of way. It also checks for any outstanding notices requiring you to take action to remedy an earlier wrong doing.
 
There are a couple of things worth checking in relation to your search.

- Find out what area the search covers - is it just adjacent houses, your street or the whole neighbourhood.

- Check how long the search results will take - if this is something holding up your move you may want to consider paying extra for a "personal search" which usually takes two or three days. There are moves towards electronic conveyancing which should speed up the whole search process considerably.

- Remember if your housebuying process has been delayed or is taking a long time, the search results may become out of date.

- It is worth making your own enquiries and spending time in the area. Venture slightly further out that your search will cover - you don't want to discover a new international airport being built 10 minutes away.