People often ask us what the difference is between an Official Local Authority Search and a Regulated Local Authority Search. In this video we answer that very question.
This will help you to decide which product you should order and why.
Choosing the correct type of Local Authority Search will help to speed up a property transaction, BUT, you must be aware of the needs of your Mortgage Lender if indeed you are buying a property with a Mortgage.
Video Transcript:
Today we are talking about the differences, or indeed the similarities, between a regulated local authority Search and an official Local Authority Search, or as we call them, a Council Sourced Search.
A Council Sourced Search (or Official Search) is one that is completed by personnel at the Local Authority. It contains the same information as a Regulated Search because the questions raised in both are required to be the same.
A regulated Search is one that is completed by a Search Agent, such as the team that we use across England and Wales, whose job it is to visit the Local Authority and get the answers to the questions raised.
An Official Local Authority Search is guaranteed to be accepted by every lender (if you are getting a mortgage) but the cost of getting one will vary across all local authorities as each council charges a different price.
A regulated Search tends to be more user friendly in the way that it is laid out and the cost for getting one is fixed nationally, so you can be assured that the price shown on our website at Property Searches Direct is the price that you will pay no matter where
the property is.
Before you buy any searches from us you really should use our lender checker. This will enable you to confirm whether your lender will accept a regulated search or whether you need to ask us for a quote for an Official Search from the council.
The other thing that is worth checking is the return timescales. Every week we update the Local Authority Search Turnaround timescales for Official and Regulated Searches. So don't let the timescales come as a shock to you. Some areas are very quick and some can take weeks,
if not months to return the results.
So there you have it.
If you do have any questions about the types of searches we have available please do reach out to us by email, phone or web chat.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
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