Who Pays for Searches When Selling a House?
Usually the buyer, but that is changing. Who pays for property searches today, when the seller pays instead, what they cost, and what sales packs will change.
Key takeaways
- In most sales in England and Wales, the buyer pays for the property searches: their solicitor orders them after an offer is accepted.
- The seller pays when searches are ordered before the property is listed, usually through their estate agent, who recharges them or includes the cost in the fee.
- A full set typically costs around £250 to £450, depending on the council and any extra searches the area needs.
- If the buyer's solicitor accepts the seller's searches, the buyer does not order their own, so the searches are paid for once.
- The government's June 2026 roadmap plans a sales pack, including searches, before every listing, with the seller responsible for it.
In most house sales in England and Wales, the buyer pays for the property searches. That is changing: more agents now order searches when a property is listed, and the government plans to make it standard.
This guide explains who pays today, when the seller pays instead, what searches cost, and what the government's plans for sales packs will change. For what each search covers, see why property searches matter.
Who usually pays for searches
The buyer. Their solicitor orders the searches after an offer is accepted, usually once the buyer has paid for them, and they appear on the buyer's bill as a disbursement. In a traditional sale, the seller's side does not order searches at all.
When the seller pays
A seller pays when the searches are ordered before the property is listed, as part of preparing the sale. This is usually arranged by the estate agent: the agency orders the searches when the seller instructs them, pays the search provider, and recharges the seller or includes the cost in its fee.
The agent has to tell the seller about the charge, and the amount, before they agree to it. In return, the searches are back before an offer is made, and the buyer's solicitor starts with them in hand instead of waiting for them.
How much searches cost
A full set, the local authority, drainage and water, and environmental searches, typically costs around £250 to £450. The total depends on the council, whose fees vary, and on any extra searches the area needs, such as coal mining.
Does the buyer pay again?
Not if the buyer's solicitor accepts the seller's searches. The decision is theirs, and they need searches the buyer and their lender can rely on:
- Regulated searches from a provider that subscribes to the Search Code.
- Insurance that covers the buyer and their lender, not only whoever ordered the searches.
- Searches recent enough for the lender: most want them no more than six months old at completion.
If the seller's searches meet those, the buyer's solicitor can use them, and the searches are paid for once.
What sales packs will change
The government's home buying and selling reform roadmap, published in June 2026, plans a standardised sales pack, including searches, prepared before a property is listed. The seller will be responsible for the pack, so searches would become part of every seller's costs rather than every buyer's.
That needs legislation, which the government will bring in when parliamentary time allows. Until then, ordering searches upfront is voluntary. See the home buying reform roadmap for what is planned and when.
How Casera helps
Casera provides property searches to conveyancers, and to estate agents who order them when a property is listed. Agents order from their agency's own account and recharge the seller. Our local authority searches are regulated searches, and their Stewart Title indemnity covers the buyer and their lender, whoever ordered them, so the buyer's solicitor can use them. If the sale takes longer than six months, we refresh them free of charge.
See searches for estate agents, or our guide to upfront searches and sales packs.
Frequently asked questions
Does the seller pay for searches?
Not usually. The buyer pays for searches in most sales. The seller pays when searches are ordered upfront, before the property is listed.
Do you pay for searches when selling a house?
Usually not, in England and Wales. You pay only if your estate agent offers searches upfront, as part of preparing the sale, in which case they are ordered and paid for before the property is listed.
How much do property searches cost?
Typically around £250 to £450 for the local authority, drainage and water, and environmental searches together, depending on the council and on any extra searches the area needs.
Will the buyer pay for searches again?
Not if their solicitor accepts the seller's searches. They need searches the buyer and lender can rely on: regulated searches whose insurance covers the buyer and their lender, recent enough for the lender.
Who orders searches when selling a house?
Usually the buyer's solicitor, after an offer is accepted. When searches are ordered upfront, the estate agent or the seller's conveyancer orders them before the property is listed.
