The Property Search
See a sample Order — £20
Who it’s for

Property checks for first-time buyers

Look at the flood, ground and neighbourhood picture before you offer — and before you start paying for searches.

Order a report — £20 See a sample

Your deposit, your mortgage and your first home all hang on one decision. Most of the checks that could change that decision — searches, surveys — only happen after your offer is accepted and you’ve started paying a solicitor. A screening report lets you look at the flood, ground and neighbourhood picture first, for £20.

Why it’s worth checking before you offer

Conveyancing searches cost £250–£450 and are paid whether or not the purchase goes ahead. If something turns up late, you lose that money and have to start again. Flood risk is the classic late surprise: it affects insurance, can affect what a lender will do, and stays with the property when you come to sell.

Insurance deserves particular care. The Flood Re scheme helps keep flood cover affordable for many older homes, but it does not cover homes built from 1 January 2009. If you’re buying a newer home, the underlying flood risk matters even more.

What the report tells a first-time buyer

Flood risk
Every openly mapped source for the plot you draw: rivers & sea, surface water, reservoirs, climate change and recorded floods, with an overall rating.
Running costs
The EPC rating, its potential rating and the estimated heating cost, where the home is on the register.
The area
Recorded crime, the nearest schools, shops, GP and station, and broadband and mobile.
The ground
Geology, radon and coal mining legacy.
Value context
Land Registry sale prices in the postcode, so you can sense-check the asking price.

When to use it

  1. Shortlist. Use the free GOV.UK flood map while browsing.
  2. Before you offer. Order a screening for the home you’re serious about.
  3. After your offer. Your solicitor orders the formal searches and you commission a survey.
What this is, and isn’t. A Property Search Screening is an automated compilation of official open data for the plot you draw. It is not a survey, a regulated conveyancing search or a Flood Risk Assessment, and no professional opinion or indemnity comes with it. Use it to decide where to spend next.

Questions we get asked

Is the report enough for my mortgage lender?

No. Lenders rely on the searches your solicitor orders and their own valuation. The screening is for you, before you commit to those costs.

Do I still need a survey?

Yes. The report is built from mapped data and says nothing about the condition of the building. A RICS survey looks at the property itself.

Can I check a new-build home?

Yes. You draw the plot on the map, so it works before a new home has an address history. New builds may not have an EPC or sale record on the public registers yet, and those sections will say so.

One address, one clear report

See the flood & environmental picture for your property

Every open flood source, plus ground, environment, value and context — a plain-English PDF report for the exact plot you draw, for £20.

Order a report — £20 See a sample