Once your offer has been accepted, one of the most effective things you can do is order your property searches straight away. You'd have to pay for them via your solicitor anyway – this is quicker and gives you leverage with the agent and seller.

Searches form a core part of the legal checks on a property. Ordering them early gives your solicitor a head start and helps avoid delays later in the transaction.

Purchase your searches - £299

Property searches are reports that reveal important information about the property you're buying. They help identify issues that wouldn't be obvious from a viewing, such as planning restrictions, environmental risks, or drainage connections.

They protect you, your mortgage lender, and your future resale position.

Remember, you'd have to buy your searches through your solicitor anyway.

Our standard search pack covers the searches required for the vast majority of residential purchases:

• Local Authority Search

  Confirms planning permissions, building control approvals, road adoption, enforcement notices, and other matters affecting the property.

• Water & Drainage Search

  Shows whether the property is connected to mains water and drainage and identifies public sewers within the boundaries.

• Environmental Search

  Highlights risks such as flooding, ground stability, contamination, and landfill activity.

These searches typically form the foundation of the conveyancing process.

Purchase your searches - £299

Possibly, and this is completely normal.

Some properties require specialist searches depending on factors such as:

• Location
• Property type
• Survey findings
• Lender requirements

Examples may include flood, mining, chancel repair, or planning-specific searches.

Your solicitor will advise if any additional searches are required, based on the property itself.

Nothing unnecessary is ordered automatically.

Most additional searches are quick to obtain, often within 48 hours.

If you order searches through PIP Home:

• Notify your solicitor straight away so they don't duplicate searches
• If you haven't appointed a solicitor yet, let them know you have ordered your searches on instruction.

This can help avoid duplicate costs and keep your legal fees down.

Ordering searches early helps you:

1. Cut weeks off the legal timeline

   Searches are often a major bottleneck. Starting early removes this delay.

2. Spot deal-breakers sooner

   If there's an issue, it's far better to know early than late.

3. Strengthen your position with the seller AND agent

   Early searches show you're organised, committed, and serious. Estate agents and sellers notice proactive buyers, and the agent will be far easier to persuade to take the property off the market.

4. Align with your mortgage and survey

   Running searches in parallel with surveys and mortgage offers keeps everything moving together.

5. Reduce stress and last-minute surprises

   Fewer rushed decisions. Fewer panicked conversations.

6. Reduce the risk of abortive costs

   Early clarity helps prevent spending money further down the line on a deal that won't proceed.

7. Give your solicitor a head start

   Your legal work can progress instead of waiting on reports.

If you'd like a little extra reassurance in case your purchase doesn't proceed, some buyers choose to:

• Take out search insurance
• Order searches once the survey is booked or the mortgage application is underway

This balances progress with flexibility.

For most residential buyers, ordering searches as soon as the sale is agreed:

• Speeds up the transaction
• Reduces uncertainty
• Improves negotiating power
• Lowers stress

It's one of the simplest ways to take control of your purchase.