A buyer arrives with a search pack supplied by the estate agent. Another transaction includes searches commissioned for an earlier purchaser. A shared portal contains reports described as ready for the buyer’s conveyancer to use.
These arrangements may save time and avoid unnecessary duplication. But who decides whether the particular reports are suitable for this buyer, this property and this mortgage lender?
The availability of a search pack is the beginning of that assessment. The conveyancing file should explain why the firm can rely on it, what its limitations are and whether further investigation is needed.
Lexsure’s October 2026 CQS policy notification addresses searches supplied by others within its suggested Risk Management Policy wording. The practical challenge is turning that wording into a consistent decision on individual files.
Separate receiving the search from accepting it
A report may have been uploaded, downloaded and saved without anyone having assessed its suitability.
Firms should distinguish those administrative steps from the legal review. The file needs an identifiable person responsible for checking the supplied material, investigating gaps and deciding what happens next.
That review should take place early enough to address problems before exchange. Waiting until the final file check can leave the buyer facing an unexpected cost or delay when other arrangements are already advanced.
Check the property and the extent searched
An address match is useful, but the assessment should also consider the plan and extent covered by the report.
Does the search include the whole property being purchased? What about a separate garage, parking space, garden parcel or additional title? Has the transaction changed since the search was commissioned?
A report obtained for a previous proposed purchase may relate to a different extent. A search for one plot on a development should not be assumed to cover another.
Where coverage is unclear, obtain clarification or the necessary additional report. Record the answer rather than leaving the next person reviewing the file to infer that the discrepancy was resolved.
Establish who can rely on the report
Having a copy of a report does not, by itself, establish the buyer’s or lender’s rights against its provider.
Read the applicable terms. Identify who commissioned the search, who may rely on it, and whether any transfer, readdressing or confirmation is required. Consider relevant limitations and the protection available if information is wrong.
Keep different insurance arrangements separate. A search provider’s professional indemnity insurance, protection accompanying a report and a policy offered instead of a search can serve different purposes. The existence of insurance does not establish that every relevant risk is covered.
If the terms or protection remain uncertain, seek clarification before advising that the supplied search can be used.
Assess the date against the transaction timetable
Check when the report was produced and the relevant dates of the information it contains. Consider whether it remains appropriate for the anticipated exchange and completion timetable.
Where the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook applies, its England and Wales Part 1 includes requirements concerning search age, necessary searches and property-specific investigation. Check the applicable lender instructions and any case-specific requirements.
A search that meets an age requirement can still leave a material issue unanswered. Equally, the fact that someone else commissioned it does not automatically mean it needs replacing.
The decision should follow the report, the transaction and the applicable instructions.
Check lender acceptance for the particular product
A general statement that a search pack is “lender accepted” should prompt verification of the actual requirements.
Identify the lender, the search product and any conditions concerning the provider, insurance or standards. Review the mortgage offer and additional instructions alongside the applicable Handbook provisions.
Our article on why a lender’s acceptance of personal searches may be conditional explains why reading only the opening answer can leave an important question unresolved.
Acceptance of one search type should not be assumed to extend to every report in the pack. Keep evidence of the checks and obtain clarification where necessary.
Ask whether the pack answers this property’s questions
Even an up-to-date report with suitable reliance terms may be insufficient for the particular transaction.
Consider the property’s location, title, use, physical features and the buyer’s plans. Search findings, the survey or replies to enquiries may indicate that supplementary information or specialist investigation is appropriate.
For example, a report identifying a sewer near an extension may require further investigation. The existence of a drainage search does not establish that every question about the extension has been answered.
Additional enquiries should identify what needs establishing and why. Our article on when an additional conveyancing enquiry is necessary considers how to connect questions to the particular transaction.
An illustrative file: the pack is recent, but the assessment is incomplete
A buyer provides searches commissioned for an earlier purchaser. The reports appear recent and the buyer expects the firm to use them without further expense.
On review, the conveyancer identifies that a separately titled parking space is outside the search plan. The provider’s terms also require confirmation before another purchaser can rely on one of the reports.
Neither point establishes that the whole pack must be discarded. Both require a decision supported by evidence.
The file should record the coverage issue, the provider’s response, any additional search required and the explanation given to the buyer. If the timetable changes, the firm should reconsider any date-sensitive aspects of its earlier assessment.
Explain additional work and costs before ordering
Clients may reasonably ask why further searches are being recommended when reports have already been supplied.
Give a specific explanation. Is the issue missing land, outdated information, restricted reliance, a lender condition or a risk needing further investigation? Explain the proposed response, likely cost and potential effect on timing.
Lexsure’s Knowledge Hub includes a related terms and conditions paragraph on searches supplied by sellers, estate agents or other providers. This is client-facing wording to consider alongside the firm’s internal assessment procedure.
A buyer’s wish to avoid further expense does not override the firm’s duties to a lender or resolve an investigation the firm considers necessary. Escalate any disagreement or unresolved limitation through the firm’s supervision arrangements.
Make the Risk Management Policy usable
The policy should help staff identify who reviews supplied searches, what they check and when a matter needs supervision.
A practical assessment record could cover:
- The reports received, their dates and who supplied them.
- The property, titles and plan coverage.
- The provider’s terms of reliance and relevant protection.
- The applicable lender requirements and evidence of compliance.
- Missing information and further investigation required.
- The explanation given to the client and any necessary instructions.
- The reviewer, decision date and outstanding follow-up.
Firms reviewing their framework can explore Lexsure’s CQS CPMS Risk Management Policy template. Check the version being purchased and adapt it to the firm’s work, responsibilities and systems.
Our article on putting the Risk Management Policy into practice considers how supervision and file evidence can demonstrate that procedures are being followed.
Keep the procedure under review
Receiving a notification should lead to a recorded decision about whether the firm needs to change its wording or working arrangements.
Check the existing policy, approve relevant amendments, brief affected staff and consider whether live files need attention. A subsequent file review can test whether supplied searches are being assessed as intended.
Lexsure’s POLICYmonitor CQS Policy Update Service provides suggested policy paragraphs for CQS-accredited firms in England and Wales to consider and adapt.
Does your policy explain who checks a supplied search?
Keep your CQS procedures under active review. POLICYmonitor supplies monthly suggested policy paragraphs to help your firm identify wording to assess, adapt and implement.
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For CQS-accredited firms in England and Wales. Your firm remains responsible for reviewing the wording and implementing appropriate procedures.
This article concerns conveyancing practice in England and Wales. Search suitability depends on the transaction, report terms and applicable instructions. It develops a procedure issue addressed in the October 2026 notification; it does not suggest that receiving a supplied search creates an automatic obligation to replace it.