Ask three professionals what "the searches" are and you'll get three different lists. The conveyancer thinks of the bundle they order. The search firm thinks of what they have to produce. The buyer thinks of an invoice they didn't expect.
They're all describing the same thing, from different ends of the same process.
This is the definitive version. What conveyancing searches actually are, which ones a transaction needs, who produces each one, and how long they take. Useful whether you order searches or fulfil them.
What are conveyancing searches?
Conveyancing searches are enquiries made against public records to surface anything that affects a property before a sale completes. They cover planning, land charges, drainage, environmental risk and more. Most transactions need a core set of three, with situational searches added depending on location and history.
The point of a search is to find what the seller can't or won't tell you. A planned road scheme. A financial charge on the land. A history of contaminated use next door. A property sitting over a former coal seam. None of it shows up on a viewing.
A search firm exists to compile that picture. A personal search company compiles the property searches — local authority (CON29/LLC1), drainage and water, environmental and more — that a conveyancer needs before a sale completes. The conveyancer then reads the results, reports to the client, and advises.
For the detail on which searches a given transaction must include, see which searches are mandatory.
Which conveyancing searches does a transaction need?
Most transactions need three core searches: the local authority search (CON29 + LLC1), the drainage and water search (CON29DW), and an environmental search. Beyond those, a handful of situational searches apply depending on where the property sits and what it's been used for.
The table below is the working list. Keep it next to you when you're scoping an order.
| Search | What it covers | Who provides it | Typical turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local authority (CON29 + LLC1) | Planning, building regs, roads, local land charges and restrictions | The council (official) or a personal search company (regulated) | 24–72h (personal); 2 working days–6 weeks (council) |
| Drainage & water (CON29DW) | Mains water, sewerage, public sewers near the property | Regional water companies via search providers | A few days |
| Environmental | Contaminated land, flood risk, ground stability, landfill | Data providers (Landmark and others) | Same day to a few days |
| Coal mining (CON29M) | Past, present and planned coal mining; subsidence risk | The Mining Remediation Authority | Quick, often same day |
| Chancel / flood / others | Situational liabilities specific to the property | Various providers | Varies |
The first two columns matter to the conveyancer. The last two matter to whoever's running the operation. A personal search company lives and dies on that turnaround column.
The core three
The local authority search is the big one. It's two documents ordered together: the LLC1 (the local land charges register) and the CON29 (standard enquiries on planning, roads and more). On the form distinction, the Law Society's guidance on CON29 and LLC1 is the primary reference, and we break it down in what a local authority search shows and CON29 vs LLC1.
The drainage and water search is the CON29DW drainage & water search — a Law Society form answered with data from the regional water companies. It confirms whether the property connects to mains water and public sewers, and whether a public sewer runs close enough to constrain future building.
The environmental search pulls contaminated-land history, flood risk, ground stability and landfill data into one report. It's data-driven rather than authority-driven, so it usually comes back fast.
The situational ones
Beyond the core three, you add searches the property warrants. The most common is the coal mining search (CON29M) from the Mining Remediation Authority — the former Coal Authority's public name since November 2024. If the property sits in a coalfield, you order it. A chancel check, a fuller flood report, mining searches for tin or brine in specific regions: each one is triggered by location or history, not by default.
The skill here is knowing which trigger applies without ordering everything for everyone. That's experience, and it's where a search firm earns its place.
Who produces conveyancing searches?
Each search is produced one of two ways: by the local authority itself (an official search) or by a personal search company (a regulated personal search). For the local authority search both routes compile the same CON29 and LLC1 from the same public records. The difference is who does the work, the liability backing, and the speed.
The official route carries a statutory guarantee from the council. The regulated route is backed by the search firm's professional indemnity insurance, and the firm subscribes to the Search Code. Same documents, different producer.
The other searches sit outside that official/regulated split. The drainage and water data comes from the regional water companies. The coal mining data comes from the Mining Remediation Authority. The environmental search comes from data providers. A personal search company typically gathers all of it and returns one coherent bundle, so the conveyancer orders once and reads once.
In our experience most solicitors use the personal route for the local authority search because of speed, not price, though it's often cheaper too. For the full comparison see regulated vs official, and on whether a firm can run searches itself, can you do your own search.
"The searches list looks fixed from the outside. It isn't. Half the job is knowing what a property actually needs — and not billing a client for a coal search on a property that's never been within ten miles of a seam."
— Valerie Bennett, Personal Search Veteran · June 2026
How long do conveyancing searches take?
It depends entirely on who produces them. A personal search company typically returns a local authority search in 24 to 72 hours. Councils range from 2 working days to 6 weeks, depending on the authority and time of year. The drainage, environmental and coal searches are usually quick, so the local authority search sets the pace.
That spread is the whole reason the personal search market exists. The local land charges picture is the slow part, and councils carry it at very different speeds. The official source for the migrating register is gov.uk's local land charges service, where roughly a third of authorities now return a free LLC1 result.
For the firm fulfilling the work, turnaround isn't one number — it's the whole operation. Address matching, council request, response tracking, report build. We cover the realistic ranges in how long searches take and what moves them in reducing turnaround time.
How do you choose a search provider?
Choose on reliability first, then speed, then price. A provider that returns most searches in 24–72 hours but misses the awkward councils will cost you more in chased orders than a slightly slower one that never drops the ball. Search Code registration is the baseline, not a differentiator.
Three things separate a good provider from an adequate one. They know the councils — the quirks, the prior-appointment authorities, the ones that need an admin ward to match an address. They turn searches around consistently, not just on good days. And they explain the liability position clearly when a client or lender asks.
For ordering firms, the choice is about trust and consistency. For search companies, it's about being the firm solicitors don't have to think about. We've set out the full criteria in choosing a provider, and the running of the operation behind it is what Valio for solicitors is built for.
Frequently asked questions
What searches are needed when buying a house?
Most residential transactions need three core searches: the local authority search (CON29 and LLC1), the drainage and water search (CON29DW), and an environmental search. Situational searches such as a coal mining search (CON29M) are added where the property's location or history warrants it.
Are conveyancing searches a legal requirement?
No search is legally mandatory for a cash purchase. But where there's a mortgage, the lender requires searches, set lender by lender in the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook. In practice almost every transaction includes the core set because no sensible buyer or lender proceeds without them.
Who produces conveyancing searches?
Each search is produced either by the local authority (an official search) or by a personal search company — an independent regulated firm that compiles the same documents from the same public records. The CON29DW comes from regional water companies via providers, and the coal mining search from the Mining Remediation Authority.
How long do conveyancing searches take?
It depends on who produces them. A personal search company typically returns a local authority search in 24 to 72 hours. Councils range from 2 working days to 6 weeks depending on the authority and time of year. The drainage and environmental searches are usually quick to obtain.
What's the difference between CON29 and LLC1?
Both make up the local authority search. The LLC1 is the search of the local land charges register — financial charges and restrictions on the property. The CON29 is a set of standard enquiries about planning, roads, and other matters affecting the property. You order them together.
Which searches are mandatory → · What a local authority search shows → · What searches cost → · Valio for solicitors →