Homecheck environmental search report for residential properties provides information in five key areas not covered by Standard Enquiries of Local Authorities. In partnership with RPS, Europe′s largest environmental consultancy, every Residential Report now includes an environmental certificate.
Included within the report are:
Enquiries of statutory registers
The key areas covered are the existence of landfill and waste management sites, industrial processes regulated by the Environment Agency, prosecutions or enforcements in respect of those regulated sites, the storage of hazardous substances, discharges to air, and industrial installations regulated by the Health and Safety Executive under NIHHS and COMAH regulations.
Enquiries concerning land use
This section of the report seeks to identify both past and present industrial land use. Its purpose is to identify any land which may have been put to a potentially contaminative use. Databases interrogated include the Valuation Office′s Non-Domestic Rating list to check whether it indicates the presence of a potentially contaminative industrial land use. Past industrial land use is checked by an analysis of historical Ordnance Survey maps.
Enquiries concerning land instability
This section concerns coal mining, natural subsidence and mineral extraction, which are the principal causes of insurance claims. It is designed to highlight land instability issues which may affect the value or enjoyment of the property. Enquiries ascertain whether the property is in a mining area (including underground or surface mining whether past, present or proposed).
Enquiries concerning natural perils
This section concerns flooding and radon. Recent events have highlighted the danger properties can face from flooding. Searches will ascertain the river and coastal flood risks by indicating whether a property′s postcode is in or within 250 metres of a fluvial or tidal floodplain. Radon is the largest cause of lung cancer after smoking. Searches will indicate whether the property is in a radon-affected area as defined by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) and if so, what percentage of homes are above the action level. They will also ascertain whether the property is in an area where radon protection measures are required for new properties or extensions to existing ones under Building Regulation BR211.
Enquiries concerning other matters
This section details other matters which may impact on the property and its settings and includes Air Quality readings from the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions (now DEFRA). It also includes a check on whether there are any transmitters and cell phone masts registered with the Radio Communications Agency near the property.
Environmental certificate
In partnership with RPS, Europe′s largest environmental consultancy, every Residential Report now includes an Environmental Certificate. The Certificate indicates the likelihood of the property being described as contaminated, as defined by Section 78(A)2 of Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
This Certificate is now enhanced with a unique Lending Assessment, which provides guidance from an environmental perspective as to whether the property can be used as security in normal lending. In this way, Homecheck Professional addresses the issue raised by the Law Society Warning Card on Contaminated Land as well as removing from the property professional the burden of interpreting the results of the report.