The recent flooding in the UK is a powerful reminder of the importance of giving homebuyers the fullest possible information about potential flooding on their property.

From the 28th July, The Homecheck Professional Flood Report will include the following additional datasets, making it the most comprehensive and acurate assessment of flod risk available.

Insurance Claims Data - *Exclusive to Homecheck Professional*

An indication of the insurance claims rating for flooding within the postcode sector, by comparing actual flood insurance claims made to the number of properties. This dataset is exclusive to Homecheck Professional.

Norwich Union Flood Risk and Insurability

A detailed, property-specific assessment of river and coastal flood risk, covering risk of flooding as well as 'insurability risk'.

BGS Geological Indicators - *Unique to Homecheck Professional*

Indicates those geological deposits which have been associated with flooding in the recent geological past and which therefore may still be vulnerable to flooding

British Geological Society (BGS) Susceptibility to Groundwater Flooding

Identifies where geological conditions could enable groundwater flooding to occur and where groundwater may come close to the ground surface.

Click here to access a copy of the updated Flood Report product card

Over the last year, we have been reminded by cases in London, Reading and Cornwall amongst others, of the importance of ground stability information. This is why Landmark are leading the way with new product bundles which includes not only environmental and planning searches, but also the Homecheck Professional Ground Stability Report, giving homebuyers peace of mind during their home buying transaction.

The two new bundles are as follows:

Homecheck Professional Environmental Report with Plansearch Plus and Homecheck Professional Ground Stability Report for a package of £63 plus VAT

and

Envirosearch with Plansearch Plus and Homecheck Professional Ground Stability Report for a package of £69 plus VAT

For more details concerning these and other Landmark Product please visit our prices section of the website.

We are delighted to announce that on the 1^st May 2007 Search Direct UK Limited acquired GWS Legal Services based in Cardiff. The Partners of GWS Legal Services formed the business over 20 years ago and have established an excellent reputation and client base.

In doing so, Gary Davies formerly a Land Charges officer at Monmouthshire County Council and latterly principle searches officer at Richards Gray has joined the company in order to manage our new Cardiff Office.

Keith Harries still remains with the office ensuring it continues to provide customers with the high standard of work GWS Legal Services has established over the years.

Search Direct UK Limited will continue to trade as Search Direct South Wales from the Bridgend office and GWS Legal Services from the Cardiff office.

GWS Legal Services    

 Connies House, Rhymney River Bridge Road, Cardiff, CF23 9AF

 DX 33047 CARDIFF

 Tel 02920 470707                                    Fax 02920 470747

 www.gwslegalservices.co.uk       mail@gwslegalservices.co.uk

1st of March 2007, Search Direct South Wales becomes FSA Registered.

The FSA (Financial Services Authority) are an independent body that regulates the financial services industry in the UK. They have been given a wide range of rule-making, investigatory and enforcement powers in order to meet our statutory objectives:

To promote efficient, orderly and fair markets and to help retail consumers achieve a fair deal.

www.fsa.gov.uk

In December 2006 Search Direct South Wales became registered members of The Search Code. On 29 September 2006, the Search Code was introduced delivering quality standards across the private property search industry. The Search Code provides protection for hombuyers, sellers, conveyancers and mortgage lenders, who rely on the information included in property search reports undertaken on residential property within the United Kingdom.

www.propertycodes.org.uk

During November 2006, Search Direct South Wales became members of the IPSA (Independent Personal Search Agents). The Association of Independent Personal Search Agents is a representative body set up specifically to represent and support personal search agencies across the UK. Operating on a non-profit-making basis they provide a range of services designed to inform and support members in the current fast-changing marketplace.

www.ipsa-online.org

From March 2006 we have become members of The Council of Property Search Organizations (CoPSO). Which is the major trade association for the property search industry.

www.copso.org.uk

From the 1st of July 2006 Landmark Information Group and Sitescope Limited increased their list price of certain products and added some new segmented HIP ready reports.

Homecheck Professional is the UK's best selling residential environmental report and has been increased to £37.60 including VAT.

Envirosearch Residential is the fastest growing environmental report and is now priced at £44.65 including VAT. This report however, now includes a new unique remediation contribution feature.

Further changes included Sitecheck Data being increased to £105.75 including VAT and Sitecheck Review to £257.33 including VAT.

Sitecheck Assess, the leading commercial report remained unchanged, as did the Plansearch range and the Land Insurance options.

As part of the continual drive to deliver the most comprehensive and accurate assessment of environmental risk, two key datasets have been revised across the Homecheck, Sitecheck and Envirosearch products.

Air Pollution / Prevention Controls

Air Pollution Control is now to be known as Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control.
Air Pollution Control Enforcements are now to be known as Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Control Enforcements.

In order to keep up with regulations, Landmark data now includes Local Authority Pollution Prevention and Controls. Data is therefore now incorporated from both the Environmental Agency and Local Authorities, covering a three tier system of Part A1, A2 and B conents.

Geology & Subsidence

BGS Geosure replaces all current subsidence data sets with the exception of shallow mining and is designed to show how the underlying rock and soil can affect stability underneath both residential and commercial sites. It includes the following features:

Shrink-Swell Clay Hazard - One of the largest causes of ground subsidence, very common in London and South East England, where building foundations could be affected by varying moiture levels in the clay due to dry summers and periods of extreme rainfall.

Collapsible Ground Hazard - Porous rocks becoming saturated and collapsing, causing potential damage to property.

Compressible Ground Hazard - Ground containing soft layers or pockets compressing under the weight of the buildings.

Ground dissolution Hazard - Types of bedrock layers that can dissolve within ground water, causing underground cavities to develop that can cause significant ground movement.

Landslide Hazard - Types of slope becoming unstable, causing downward movement and disruption to buildings.

Running Sand Hazard - Rocks containing sandy layers that become more liquid by flowing water, allowing sand to run through and remove support from buildings.

Sample reports incorporating the new datasets can be found on the Downloads page.

Our Downloads page contains a wealth of Search Direct resources, including sample reports, product information and company literature.

The page has been updated to include samples of the latest, improved versions of Landmark's Envirosearch, Plansearch and Plansearch Plus reports, plus samples and User Guides for the new Sitecheck range of commercial environmental reports.

Also available are new Case Studies covering contaminated land issues. These can be found in the Landmark section. Of particular interest to our local customers may be the Case Study regarding historical land use in Maesteg (via the Uncovered September 2005 link).

Finally, the Search Direct Sample Reports section has been updated with our recently introudced new format. Our new reports still provide search results in a clear, concise manner and now also include enhanced information on the Local Authority and/or other relevant bodies and are supplemented by the CON29 questions in full.

Visit the Downloads page by using the Navigation Menus or by clicking here.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new Sitecheck range of commercial environmental reports. The new range replaces the existing Envirosearch Commercial, Sitecheck and Sitescope reports, providing a simpler, more logical and flexible range of reports.

Sitecheck Data replaces Envirosearch Commercial and the Sitescope Environmental Report. The report identifies potential contaminative issues and other risks. It is suitable for practices that do not need a Part IIA assessment and have an in-house specialist who can interpret the results.

Sitecheck Assess replaces the Sitecheck Report. This is a more detailed report at the best value on the market, including a full Part IIA professional opinion by Wilbourn Associates. It is ideal for high street solicitors dealing with general commercial properties.

Sitecheck Review replaces the Sitescope Environmental Report with RPS Risk Assessment. This detailed assessment is carried out by RPS, Europe's leading environmental consultants and is aimed at sophisticated commercial lawyers who are seeking an end-to-end service.

The new Sitecheck range will be available from Monday 11th July. For more information, please click here.

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The majority of our search fees have remained unchanged since the company's inception in 1997. Whilst we have resisted price increases for as long as possible, due to inflationary pressures, we will be implementing new fees from 11th July. These will be listed in the Prices Section from that date, or contact c.john@sdsw.co.uk to request a copy. We trust that you find that Search Direct South Wales continues to offer value for money and a saving against local authority search fees.

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The costs for a Con29DW Drainage and Water Search are changing for several water company regions.

From 6th June, the costs for the Thames region will be as follows:
Con29DW £36.40+VAT (£42.77)
Con29DW Expedited £68+VAT (£79.90)
Commercial Con29DW £80+VAT (£94.00)
Commercial Con29DW Expedited £160+VAT (£188.00)

The Severn Trent Commercial Con29DW now costs £90+VAT (£105.75).

The Southern Water Con29DW now costs £39.15+VAT (£46.00).

For a full list of Drainage Search prices, please click here.

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The previously announced increase in the cost of a Residential Coal Mining Report will now be taking place on April 1st. From this day, the cost of the report will be £20.00+VAT (£23.50).

We are postponing the change to give our customers more time to adjust to the new price.

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A Commercial Drainage and Water Search is now available for the Anglian Water region. The new report provides the same information as in a standard Con29DW, as applicable to a commercial property or development site. The report is available at a cost of £85+VAT (£99.88).

The cost of a standard Residential Con29DW in the Yorkshire Water Region has increased to £36+VAT (£42.30), with the next day service available at £41+VAT (£48.18). For a full list of Drainage Search prices, please click here.

The cost of a Residential Coal Mining Report will also be increasing to £20+VAT (£23.50) from March 1st. This is due to changes in Coal Authority fees and will be the first time we have increased the cost of this report.

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We will be providing a free Plansearch Plus report with every order received in January of either an Envirosearch Residential or Homecheck Professional environmental report.

The unique new planning and neighbourhood information report was launched in December 2004. Our News item for the month (below) explains the new product. We are providing the complimentary reports to our customers in order to show the benefits of ordering the report. Plansearch Plus can be purchased on its own at a cost of £30.

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We have once again added to our portfolio of property searches with the launch of Plansearch Plus.

Plansearch Plus is an enhanced version of the popular Plansearch Residential from Landmark Information Group.

Plansearch products provide planning information beyond the scope of a Local Authority Search. Whereas the Local Authority Search examines the planning history of the specific property, Plansearch and Plansearch Plus examine planning applications and land use policies for a 250 metre radius around the search site, revealing a plethora of potentially adverse planning permissions such as telecommunications masts, industrial developments or noisy nightclubs.

Plansearch has been revised and updated to include improved land use (Local Plan) information and aerial photography. In addition, the price has been cut to £23.50, representing even better value for money.

Plansearch Plus, meanwhile, is the new product which not only includes all the data of the Plansearch, but also neighbourhood statistics and information (such as crime rates, council taxes and local amenities), additional Local Plan information and large applications decisions. Plansearch Plus is available at a cost of £30.00. This was the previous cost of the original Plansearch, which effectively means that extra valuable information can be obtained at no extra cost.

To view samples and user guides for both Plansearch and Plansearch Plus, together with our Product Comparison Card, see our Downloads Section. For information on available discounts, see our Environmental Search Price List.

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We are pleased to announce the launch of our new service: Transco Pipeline Search.

Gas pipeline information has traditionally been sourced as an Additional Enquiry in the Local Authority Search. However, this information is increasingly unavailable, with applicants instead being referred to Transco, the company responsible for maintaining the UK gas network. To save our customers time in their conveyancing transactions, Search Direct has negotiated access to Transco's gas pipeline location software and now offers a pipeline report.

Modelled after Transco's own Pipeline Search, the Search Direct report includes a full colour Ordnance Survey plan of the property and its surrounding gas mains. The report distinguishes between the different types of pipe, including low, intermediate and high pressure.

Our Transco Pipeline Search is available for properties throughout the country at a cost of £25+VAT. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Samples of all our property reports are available in the Downloads section.

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As of 11th October, the cost for a Residential Con29DW Drainage & Water Search in the Severn Trent region will be £36.40 plus VAT (£42.77). The cost for a Commercial Con29DW in the region will be £84.80 plus VAT (£99.64). For a full list of Drainage Search prices, please click here.

Drainage Search prices are also available in our Local Authority Price Lists, which have been revised and updated to a more user-friendly format.

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