Buyers hit by search delays

New data released by OneSearch Direct reveals homeowners are waiting well over a month for the vital information they need from local authorities in order to legally market their property.

Although the market is more in need of sales efficiency now than ever before, some local authorities have placed such tight restrictions on access to data that they are slowing down the whole housing market in their area, some allowing only two requests a day.

With property search information requested on a daily basis, specific local authorities are unable to cope with the sheer volume of searches homebuyers are asking for.

Typical council restrictions:

• Lack of staff – Too many local authorities do not have the staffing numbers to deal with the number of searches that are being requested
• Snail Mail – Some local authorities will only accept postal requests, not emails
• Daily Restrictions – Many limit the daily number of searches they carry out – some restricted to only 2 requests a day.

Ronnie Park, managing director at OneSearch Direct, commented: “Without the local authority search information needed for a Home Information Pack (HIP), a property cannot be legally marketed. This information helps homebuyers to be informed on everything from renovations to planning permission and ultimately saves them time and money, but delays in contribution from local authorities means often the opposite can happen.

“In this climate, it is more important than ever that we ensure best practice, regardless of postcode so it is unthinkable that some local authorities would put unnecessary barriers in the way.”