How Long Are Searches Valid For When Buying a House?
Searches have no expiry date, but most lenders want them no more than six months old at completion. What happens when they go out of date, and how to avoid it.
Key takeaways
- Searches have no legal expiry date, but most mortgage lenders want them to be no more than six months old at completion.
- The six months runs from the date of each search, not the date of your offer, so a slow purchase or a long chain can use it up.
- When searches go out of date, your solicitor can refresh them, order new ones or, if your lender accepts it, use search indemnity insurance.
- A search shows the records on the day it was done. Anything registered afterwards, such as a new planning application, is not in it.
- Cash buyers have no lender rule, but a solicitor may still recommend refreshing older searches before exchange.
There is no expiry date printed on a property search, but there is a limit that matters: most mortgage lenders want your searches to be no more than six months old when you complete. On a purchase that drags on, that limit can arrive before completion does.
This guide explains how long searches are valid for, why the limit exists, what happens when they go out of date, and how to keep it from delaying your purchase.
How long are searches valid for?
Legally, searches do not expire. In practice, the limit comes from your lender. The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook, which sets the rules most lenders follow, expects searches to be no more than six months old at completion, and a few lenders set their own rules on top.
That covers the whole set: the local authority, drainage and water, and environmental searches, and any others your solicitor ordered.
Why the six-month limit exists
A search is a snapshot. It reports what the council's and other bodies' records showed on the day it was done. A new planning application next door, a new enforcement notice or a change to the roads after that date is not in it. The older the search, the more could have changed, so lenders want it recent when they release the money.
When searches go out of date
The six months runs from the date of each search, not from your offer or your mortgage offer. They are most likely to run out when:
- The purchase is slow, for example while waiting on enquiries, a missing document or a lender's checks.
- The chain is long, and someone further along is not ready to exchange.
- The searches were ordered early, before an offer or when the property was listed.
- A new build is delayed, and the searches were ordered when you reserved the plot.
Ask your solicitor when your searches were done, so you know the date they will pass six months.
What happens when searches are out of date
Your solicitor will check what your lender requires, and then usually takes one of three routes:
- Refresh the searches. An updated search checks the records again. Ask what it costs: it can be less than a new set.
- Order new searches, if a refresh is not available for that search.
- Search indemnity insurance, which covers loss from anything a new search would have shown, if your lender accepts it.
A refresh takes time, like the original search, so it is worth knowing the date in advance rather than finding out a week before completion. If your searches have not come back at all yet, see why are my searches taking so long?
How to avoid paying twice
- Know the date. Ask your solicitor when each search was done.
- Keep everything else moving, so the searches are not waiting on the rest of the purchase.
- Chase the hold-ups, such as a missing building regulations certificate. See missing building regulations certificate? What buyers can do.
- Check searches the seller provides. If the seller ordered searches when the property was listed, check their dates too. See who pays for searches when selling a house?
How Casera can help
Casera provides property searches, refreshes and the services around them to solicitors and conveyancers. If your purchase is held up and your searches are running out, we can help your solicitor with a refresh, and with whatever is holding the purchase up.
We work through your solicitor, not around them. Tell us what is outstanding and who your solicitor is, and our search team will get in touch with them.
Frequently asked questions
How long are local searches valid for?
There is no fixed expiry, but most lenders want a local authority search to be no more than six months old at completion. The same applies to the drainage and water and environmental searches.
What happens if my searches are more than six months old?
Your solicitor will check what your lender requires. Usually the searches are refreshed or ordered again, or, where the lender accepts it, search indemnity insurance covers the gap.
Who pays to update searches?
Usually the buyer, as with the original searches. Ask your solicitor what a refresh costs: it can be less than a new set.
Do cash buyers need to update old searches?
There is no lender rule, but a search only shows the records on the day it was done. Your solicitor may recommend refreshing older searches before exchange.
Are searches ordered by the seller still valid?
Yes, if your solicitor accepts them. The six months is counted from the date of each search, whoever ordered it.
