What are combined risk searches?
We may not yet be in the era of Robo Conveyancing as the legal world tries to keep pace with finance, but some steps have been made in simplifying the process of searches in the past two years.
The Law Society’s revised search forms covering combined risks became available in 2016 and can be found at the website of the solicitors’ governing body.
Speeding up the process
After the CON29 and CON290 forms went live, conveyancers found that their due diligence was streamlined and local authorities had their reply formats standardised, helping with response interpretation and speeding up a process that had meant conveyances could be delayed in the past.
Prior to the introduction of combined risk searches, conveyancers had to complete separate requests to cover all environmental risks affecting the property. The new search means that all the necessary information needed prior to a transfer of the title of a property is available in one accessible report.
In the past, lawyers had to issue separate requests for a range of environmental risks. This could mean time spent analysing and correlating risk, often meaning that a clear picture was not available to present to the client. The new combined search means that planning issues, transport projects, energy and flood issues can be dealt with seamlessly. The search also includes answers on contaminated land and mining issues, saving time at the enquiry stage and providing an accurate description of the property.
One simple search
Clients increasingly look for access to professional advice online, and if you are searching for conveyancing solicitors London is home to many outstanding firms that can be found at sites such as https://www.samconveyancing.co.uk/Conveyancing-Solicitors/Conveyancing-Solicitors-London.
The good news is that there has been a positive response from conveyancers to the changes. This is because most of the risks can be assessed in one simple search. A brief summary of key issues is available, and this allows lawyers to then deal with the relevant problems in the main report.
Being able to assess the risks at a glance means saving time ploughing through pages of separate reports that would have arrived at different times, delaying communication between representatives of the vendor and buyer.
Costs are also an issue since there is one-off charge for the combined report rather than separate fees for the old searches.