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Regulator criticises councils for slow searches
This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
A regulatory body for property searches has slammed some councils for providing a, ‘very poor service,’ which leads to a delay in transactions.
The Property Codes Compliance Board, regulator for the Search Code of Practice, stated that local authorities and private sector search companies provide information to conveyancers. This information corresponds to properties being purchased in the LLC1 and CON29 search documents.
Woeful
Kate Davies, chairman of the PCCB, said that despite the majority of authorities providing a good service, a growing number are, ‘performing woefully.’
Davies stated she was, ‘very concerned that he home buying and selling public are being adversely affected by very poor performance by some local authorities and in some cases transactions are breaking down due to the delays.’[1]
‘If you live in Wiltshire for example, it is an accident of geography if a lawyer can expect to receive searches back in six days or six weeks and this is totally unacceptable,’ she continued.[1]
Regulator criticises councils for slow searches
No excuses
PCCB board member Kate Faulkner, who runs the consumer-focused online service Propertychecklists, was also less than complimentary about some councils. Faulkner said that with the housing market in a precarious position, ‘the last thing that prospective homebuyers and sellers need is unnecessary delays for which there is absolutely no excuse.’[1]
Faulkner also claims that personal search companies are being frustrated in their attempts to carry out a first class service to layer clients. This is due to the number of local authorities who are taking too long to give access to data than other councils.
[1] https://www.estateagenttoday.co.uk/breaking-news/2016/2/regulator-slams-councils-for-very-poor-searches-that-delay-transactions
