Coal Mining Search

While an interesting thought that our industrial history could be lingering beneath the property you're trying to purchase, it can cause a headache for you. When buying a house, you need to check whether you're in a coal-mining area, which is where a coal mine search comes in.

Your lender might make this search mandatory, as coal mining activity can cause subsidence. This puts your property, and therefore the lender's investment, at risk. This article covers what a coal mining search is, what it can reveal, and how to check if the property is in a coal mining area.

What is a coal mining search?

A mining survey, often called a Coal & Brine Report or Coal Authority Report, is an additional survey required in certain areas of England and Wales where there was mining. One of the greatest risks would be the effect of the mining on the ground under a property that could lead to or have caused subsidence.

If your solicitor is aware the property you are buying is located in a mining risk area, they will require you to book a coal authority search. If you are buying with a mortgage, the lender can make this a condition of granting it to you. Cash buyers can choose not to get this report since they are not bound by a lender's requirements.

What does a coal search reveal?

The report considers:

Underground coal mining Mine entries Coal mining geology Opencast coal mining Coal mining subsidence Mine gas Hazards Insurance Certificate & Information from the Cheshire Brine Compensation District (if applicable) Download Example

For mining activities, the report lists past, present and any planned future activities. The information about future activities is more of an opinion, but still usefully notes whether the area your property is located in might be mined in the future.

The Coal Mining Subsidence section of the coal authority search notes whether there has been any claim for damages from any property due to mining-related subsidence within 50m of your property. Mine gas tells you whether there has been any noted emission of mine gases and the hazards section notes whether the property has been subject to any recorded remedial work.

How do you check if a property is in a coal mining area?

For brine mining, the main affected county is Cheshire. 'Wych' actually means Brine Town and can be observed as being part of the following towns' names, all of which are in Cheshire - Northwich, Middlewich and Nantwich. In this region, brine subsidence is very common, so a Cheshire Salt Search is requested when buying a house there. You will rarely need both a Coal Mining and a Cheshire Salt Search.

Due to subsidence caused by brine mining, the Cheshire Brine Compensation Board was founded in 1952 to provide compensation, however, at present, a building survey must prove the damages.

Compensation should then be available for you, but if the previous owners of the house have been awarded this before and failed to carry out the necessary repairs, any other future claims might be rejected. We can help with both your purchase and your building survey.

The below coal mining map highlights the areas most affected by coal mining. Generally, the largest areas cover Manchester, Liverpool, as well as Sheffield, Wakefield and Bradford. We can, however, help with your purchase all throughout England and Wales.

How to make a coal claim

If you believe your property has suffered damages, either from subsidence or by simply being located near a mine, you can claim compensation. This can be done either by filing a claim with the mine owner, or with The Coal Authority. There are certain steps you must take.

1
Get a Coal Mining Report
This report is written by analysing all activities which can affect your property, whether these are ongoing, in the past or planned for the future. Once you have written confirmation that the damages have been caused by coal mining, you can move on to the next step.
2
Claim compensation by filling in a damage notice form.
3
Send the form to the relevant party - The Coal Authority in this case