v THE NEXT HERALD IS OUT ON 4TH AUGUST v 14th July 2022 • The HERALD • Page 61 ASK A PROFESSIONAL Why Do We Do Searches When Buying a Property? by Carol Scott, Associate Solicitor, CGM As a Solicitor, I am frequently asked why we carry out searches. Under English law, the principle of ‘Caveat Emptor’ applies which means ‘buyer beware’. e legal onus is on the buyer to investigate the title and, alongside this process, we apply to third parties for information they hold about the property. e type of search we apply for depends on the location of the property and there are a broad range of searches covering issues such as coal mining, tin mining and radon. If you are obtaining a mortgage, your mortgage lender will insist upon searches being obtained. If you are a cash buyer and do not have a mortgage, you are not obliged to do so although it is always recommended. As a minimum, we would apply for a Local Authority Search, an Environmental Search and a Water & Drainage Search. Local Authority search – this checks records held by the Local Authority. e search covers around 90 questions and includes whether the property is on a publicly maintained road, whether any Planning Permissions have been issued and whether any road schemes are proposed. Environmental Search – this covers the environmental history/land use, for example whether the property has been built on previously contaminated land. Under environmental legislation, if land is deemed to be contaminated and the primary culprit cannot be traced, the obligation falls on the land owner to pay the considerable clean-up costs. Water and Drainage search – this tells us whether the property is connected to mains water and mains drainage and how the water and drainage charges are levied. If a property has a private water supply or private drainage, there can be serious legal rami cations so it is vital to have this information. Carol Scott is an Associate Solicitor based at CGM’s Southampton o ce For all your Conveyancing needs please contact: enquiries@c-g-m.co.uk Carol Scott, Associate Solicitor, CGM Voyage to Net Zero in Maritime Underway Zero emission ferries and vessels are one step closer to being a reality, as Maritime Minister Robert Courts recently confirmed £12 million funding to accelerate the research and development of zero emission maritime technologies. Now in its second round, the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC) was born out of the Prime Minister’s 10-point plan to tackle carbon emissions. e latest funding cements the UK’s position as world leaders in clean maritime technologies and supports the creation of thousands of skilled jobs across the UK. e CMDC is one of the rst initiatives from UK SHORE, a new unit launched to make the maritime sector greener. Dedicated to creating a world free from shipping emissions, UK SHORE will work with industry to tackle numerous shipping emission challenges. Through research and development (R&D) investments, it will include the provision of domestic zero emission ferries, helping to tackle the approximately 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions that Roll-on/Roll-off vessels and passenger-only ferries contribute to the UK’s domestic shipping emissions.
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