Property searches

18 April 2008

The OFT has responded to a consultation on Local Authority property search services. Download the OFT's response (pdf 70 kb).

23 December 2005

The Government publishes its response to the OFT's market study in which it accepts all the OFT's recommendations. In addition the Council for National Land and Information Services accepts the recommendations that have been directed at the Local Government Information House.

See OFT statement
See Government response (pdf 73 kb)
See Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform press release

21 September 2005

The OFT report into the property searches market calls for more competition and better access to property information.

The OFT study found that the price of property searches provided by local authorities varies greatly, and it is likely that some consumers pay too much. Local authorities provide property information under a complex framework of legislation. Some local authorities restrict access by property buyers and their agents, including property search companies, to the property information that they hold.

The report makes a series of recommendations aimed at improving competition and access to property information, including:

• requiring local authorities to give access to the information needed to complete a home information pack
• providing local authorities with clearer guidance on how they should set prices for providing property information, and
• agreeing revised targets with local authorities to ensure that this information is made available quickly and on the same timescale that they apply to themselves.

The report also contains recommendations to liberalise the electronic provision of property searches compiled by local authorities in England and Wales, and improve consumer awareness and understanding of property searches.

People engaged in property transactions use property searches to discover information about the property and the surrounding area that might affect the value of the property or their desire to live in it. There were over 1.5 million property transactions in England, Wales and Scotland in 2004, and we estimate the value of the market for property searches to be around £190 million per annum.

The introduction of the home information pack in 2007 will change the way that property information is provided in England and Wales, and presents an opportunity to reform the property searches market.

Download Property searches (pdf 458 kb)

Annexes

Annexe A Survey of consumers (160 kb)
Annexe B Survey of conveyancers (393 kb)
Annexe C Mystery shopping exercise (179 kb)
Annexe D Survey of local authorities (432 kb)
Annexe E Legal framework in England and Wales (399 kb)
Annexe F Legal framework in Scotland (112 kb)
Annexe G National Land Information Service (87 kb)
Annexe H Other property information holders (76 kb)
Annexe I Parties consulted (70 kb)
Annexe J Specimen property search forms (496 kb)

See press release

Background

The study was launched in December 2004. The OFT had received a number of complaints about access to property information and competition in the market as a whole.

Announcement of study - see press release

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