Reports of sinkholes and subsidence have increased over the last couple of years with more instances of voids opening up near homes; a recent example includes a 30ft sinkhole opening up last month in Carmarthen, South Wales due to historic lead mining and another 50ft sink hole which was 6ft wide opened up on Monday in London causing severe delays for commuters between London Bridge and East Croydon. London is an area not previously renowned for mining however the risk of sink holes is prevalent in this area.
The effects of sink holes and subsidence can have devastating consequences to homeowners who have spent their time and money building a secure home only to discover that the ground beneath their property is unstable.
These examples and the increased reports of sink holes and subsidence across the country suggests that solicitors and conveyancers working in the property market have a duty to their clients to incorporate subsidence and mining reports into the search packs or bundles that they order on behalf of their clients.
Ground stability, subsidence, mining and environmental reports which include a ground stability element are provided by Searches UK who are leading conveyancing search specialists.
Lisa Summerton, Sales Director at Searches UK said:
“We’ve been aware, for some time, that sink holes and subsidence are becoming a problem for property owners across England and Wales. Reports which reveal if properties are at risk from subsidence are available through Searches UK, however we understand that some people may not think it is relevant to a property due to its location. As a company we do our best to raise awareness of these issues and incidents like the one in South Wales help us to emphasise the real risks around these matters.”
Search reports from Groundsure, Landmark, Future Climate Info and Terrafirma Mine Searches can be ordered through Searches UK on their own or as part of a bundle with the rest of your searches.
Environmental reports such as Groundsure Homebuyers, Groundsure Homescreen, Landmark Envirosearch, Landmark Homecheck, Landmark RiskView Residential and Future Climate Info’s range of Standard and Premium reports include a ground stability risk assessment which identifies if there is a potential risk to the property being searched.
More thorough reports include Groundsure Ground Stability, Landamark Homecheck Ground Stability and Landmark Subsidence Risk Ratings searches which reveal the types of mining the property is at risk from.
Terrafirma Mine Searches’ range of reports are the first of their kind to enter the market which focus on the mining of up to 35 minerals from past, present and future extractions. At a glance they may appear to be the run of the mill mining searches however the information they hold is continuously updated by industry leading geologists and so their reports can identify risk in areas that may not have been previously associated with mining and as a result sink holes and subsidence.
For more information about any of the products and services from Searches UK visit their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google+. Alternatively call them directly on 0800 043 1815 or email them at info@searchesuk.co.uk to speak to one of their dedicated team today.
This article was submitted to be published by Searches UK as part of their advertising agreement with Today’s Conveyancer. The views expressed in this article are those of the submitter and not those of Today’s Conveyancer.
