The searches and enquiries through which a buyer uncovers what a property hides — because caveat emptor places the burden of discovery squarely on the purchaser.
A seller need volunteer almost nothing, so the buyer's protection lies entirely in asking the right questions before exchange. This chapter starts with caveat emptor, its limited exceptions and the three pillars of due diligence, before turning to the standard enquiry forms used in residential and commercial transactions and the local authority search with its LLC1 and CON29 components. It then works through the further searches a transaction may demand — water and drainage, environmental, coal mining and bankruptcy — alongside liability for contaminated land, and the distinct regime of land charges and Index Map searches for unregistered land. Finally, it examines what a seller's replies are actually worth, when false replies found a misrepresentation claim and what remedies follow, and when a solicitor who mishandles searches faces a claim in professional negligence.
