The Office of Fair Trading’s 2005 study into the market for property searches found that local authorities charge between £59 and £269 for their searches. It is difficult to see how such a large variation can be justified. We are therefore commissioning independent experts to produce fresh guidance on the setting of charges in this area.
The findings from the OFT market study were used by the department to inform the home information packs regulatory impact assessment published in June 2006. This is currently being revised.