An Environmental Search can be a desktop research which will help you analyze the history of your land. Using this method, the buyers can understand the extent of contamination that might have affected the locality. For instance, if the property is situated close to an abandoned chemical factory, then there will be a strong chance of pollution, which may not always be visible to the naked eye. You will definitely need a comprehensive research, in order to analyze the level of pollution. The result of environmental search will be negative in most cases. Environmental research does not indicates contamination, it only predict the possibility of pollution.
There are many environmental research services around your area. After getting a positive result from these researchers, you can start the construction process. This is because it indicates that the researcher has not found any realistic reason for the environment to be polluted.
How much will an Environmental Search cost?
There are many companies nowadays that offer environmental lookups.. The services from these companies are available online and will likely cost you around £60 for any housing possessions. Getting a good environmental search for Industrial sites or construction sites will be much more costly. The results of these researches can be expected within a day.
The search results cannot be considered to be 100% accurate and comprehensive. The reason behind this is the lack of physical surveys. The reason behind the demand for environmental searches is the warranty offered by the search providers for a positive feedback. In case the environmental search is proved wrong in future, the professional guarantee insurance available will cover all subsequent loss you may face due to the contamination.
What are the next steps if the result is negative?
If the environmental search company finds that the activities of the previous occupier of the land might have contaminated the land, they might not give you a clear report. In that case, it is necessary to do more deep researches and studies on those areas.
Contact the environment authority
The next step is to contact the nearest environment authority to check whether they have any information regarding the possibilities of contamination in this particular land. You need to get permission from the responsible authority for further study.
Conduct a soil test
Another necessary precaution is to take a soil test. It is important to share the test results with the authority. When a soil test is held, you will get the right output clearly. In case the land is found to be free from all contamination issues, you will get a pass certificate. If the result is negative, the developer will need to clear the area.
Soil survey
If the above procedures do not give you any good results, it is time to make a soil survey at your own expense. Most of the sellers do not allow this to be done, because they might have to find funds from their own account for the laboratory tests. There is also another way you can get rid of the issues created by the negative environmental search results. Obtain a guarantee insurance against the contamination of the land. This can be easily done with the help of a good environmental search company. Though this way, you can cover all your losses derived from contamination. This will help both buyers and sellers avoid financial issues.
Dangers of Buying Contaminated Land
According to the Environmental Defense Act 1990, the owner of the particular land is responsible for chemical and biological damage to the property. In this case, he must clear all the contamination using his own funds. Even if the original polluter is different, he will be liable for the necessary penalty. The amount of money required to bring back the rhythm of nature depends on the level of contamination. If the buyer did not demand an environmental search, to identify the contamination level, the seller will not be responsible for the trouble which may occur in future.
If you are not planning to conduct environmental contamination researches, you cannot file a lawsuit against the seller. The previous owner will not be responsible for the contamination issues. That’s exactly why you have to seek the assistance of a professional environment contamination company.
Unlawful Dumping and Squander Removal
Illegal waste disposal and pollution through unauthorized access to the property is a major concern everywhere. As environmental search procedures analyze only the previous authorized usage of the land, this kind of contamination will not be taken into consideration. These search service providers will not be responsible for the contamination that occurred due to illegal activities. The insurance coverage achieved for the pollution issues will not protect you from contaminations due to unauthorized waste dumping and illegal activities.
Additional information given by the Environmental Search
Apart from the conclusion that state whether a property is contaminated or not, the environmental search also gives you some additional information that is crucial. This can include information on whether it’s in a flood prone area. It might also advise on such things as the actual distance regarding, mobile phone towers, power houses or power lines. Thus you will get some technical as well as non-technical information affecting your property purchase decisions. Hence conducting searches will help you avoid bad experiences in the future.
Photo courtesy: California Cthulhu (Will Hart)
