Just under half of homebuyers (49%) believe an issue brought up by a property search would affect their decision to proceed with the purchase, according to a new survey by Land Data. In a similar survey carried out by Land Data only 8 months ago, the same question revealed just 30% believed it would affect their decision to purchase.

The increase is likely to be due to more information on property searches being made available to the public, along with greater media coverage on flooding, contamination and planning issues, which have all alerted the homebuyer to the importance of an accurate and comprehensive property search.

The Land Data poll also revealed that more than half of homebuyers read their property searches themselves (51%) and do not rely solely on their solicitor/conveyancer to do this for them. A large number of consumers questioned (46%) also said that they understood the difference between a personal property search and a Local Authority search.

Alex Fraser, chief executive of Land Data, said: “We are delighted to see awareness has increased over such a short period of time. It is important for consumers to be aware of the importance of property searches and to know how to use that information as part of a home buying decision.”