Home Buyers Survey St Helens

Sometimes for certain areas you might look to buy in around St Helens, you'll be advised to get a further ground stability search or coal mining search. This advice will be apparent as a recommendation from the findings of the main searches and/or your lender might insist on you getting one as a condition of getting a mortgage, should you be buying with one.

Such a report – in this case a Terrafirma Ground Report – was taken out for a property in Nutgrove Road, St Helens WA9 5JS. This detailed report had an in-depth assessment concerning whether coal or other mining nearby would be likely to cause ground instability and also considered other natural ground perils, recorded ground movement, the presence of radon gas, oil and gas activity and whether there were any mineral mining activities planned.

In the case in question, the only matter flagged up was that the property was located within 1000m of a valid mineral planning permission, however the report also stated that the permission did not mean the area in question had actually been developed and further, that any development was unlikely given the increasing urbanisation of the locale.

The Local Authority Search's main strength is in flagging up any land charges and matters relating to planning permission and building control which might affect the value of a property you're looking to buy.

For example, such a search, bought for a property in Richards Grove, St Helens WA9 2DN revealed that the dwelling was in an area subject to a smoke control order and that while there were no planning permissions lodged for the building, the correct building regulations sign-off had been noted for a gas fire installation and FENSA certificates lodged for a total of 18 windows and 2 doors.

Even an absence of planning permission records can be invaluable to your conveyancing solicitor; if your surveyor notes that alterations have been made to the property which would normally require planning permission, this can trigger your solicitor to make further enquiries to attempt to ascertain the true situation. This might ultimately result in negotiations with your seller, if remedy is required, or you deciding to pull out of the purchase if subsequent projected costs and hassle are adjudged to be too much to proceed to exchange of contracts.

Parish church claims on parishioners for chancel repair, where these occur, can be fairly costly, with individual households possibly being legally required to pay £1,000s.

Buying a chancel repair indemnity insurance policy for a property you're looking to buy in the St Helens area is an easy and efficient way of protecting yourself against this possible eventuality and among many others, one such policy was taken out for a property in Tickle Avenue, St Helens WA9 1RS. This policy generally costs around £20 to buy and normally covers the policy holder for claims to the limit of £1 million.