In the fast-paced world of property transactions, conveyancers and solicitors face the challenge of ensuring that every decision made is both informed and accurate. 

Among the myriad of decisions is the selection of an appropriate environmental risk assessment, a critical factor that can influence the overall success of a property deal. However, not all assessments are created equal. The depth and accuracy of an environmental risk assessment can vary significantly depending on the level of expertise and experience involved. The more environmental consultant involvement, the more precise the risk assessment, ultimately benefiting all parties involved. We will explore why relying on expert insights from environmental consultants is paramount to reducing risks and ensuring the most accurate outcomes.

The value of environmental expertise

Environmental risk assessments are not just routine checks; they are comprehensive evaluations that can help identify risks such as flooding, contamination, subsidence, and other environmental hazards that could affect a property’s value or usability. For conveyancers and solicitors, these assessments are essential to ensure that their clients are fully informed about any potential risks associated with the property they are purchasing. However, not all assessments provide the same level of detail or accuracy.

Environmental consultants bring years of experience and specialised knowledge to the table, allowing them to interpret data in ways that automated systems simply cannot. The more expert involvement, the higher the degree of accuracy in identifying and evaluating risks.

Understanding Landmark’s three tiers of risk assessment

At our parent company Landmark, we offer three tiers of risk assessment, each varying in the level of expert involvement and data analysis:

  1. Professional Opinion: This is the highest level of accuracy available. When a full data assessment indicates a high risk, the report is referred to Landmark’s environmental consultants for a professional opinion. This ensures that every aspect of the risk is thoroughly evaluated, and where possible, the risk outcome may be downgraded based on the consultant’s expertise and methodology. This tier is particularly valuable in complex cases where the stakes are high, providing peace of mind that no stone has been left unturned. It ensures that the risk evaluation is not solely reliant on automated data but also benefits from expert interpretation and judgment.
  2. Full Assessment: This tier offers a data-driven assessment with an automated outcome. It still provides a robust evaluation that negates the need for ancillary reports and for many environmental risks, this represents the highest level of assessment available. For conveyancers, this option often provides a balance between cost and comprehensiveness but does not offer the same level of risk mitigation as the Professional Opinion.
  3. Alert Assessment: The Alert Assessment is a high-level summary of any potential risks identified from the data within the search area. This assessment highlights possible risks that may be relevant to the property, prompting further investigation. While this tier offers a quick overview, it is less detailed and may require follow-up reports for a more accurate risk evaluation.

The benefits of consultant involvement

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Involving environmental consultants in the risk assessment process has several key benefits:

  • Efficiency: In some cases, consultant involvement can streamline the process by reducing the need for follow-on reports, saving time and resources.
  • Accuracy: Consultants can provide a more accurate risk assessment by interpreting data in context, considering factors that automated systems might overlook.
  • Risk Reduction: By identifying and mitigating potential risks early, consultants can help prevent costly issues from arising later in the property transaction process.
  • Confidence: Knowing that a consultant has reviewed the assessment provides an additional layer of assurance for both conveyancers and their clients.

Case study introduction

To illustrate the importance of expert involvement in environmental risk assessments, consider the case of a residential property located in a flood-prone area. Initially, an automated assessment flagged the property as high-risk, which could have jeopardised the transaction. However, after the report was referred for a Professional Opinion, Landmark’s environmental consultants conducted a thorough review. Their expert analysis revealed that the actual risk was significantly lower than initially indicated, allowing the transaction to proceed with confidence. By involving consultants from the outset, conveyancers and solicitors can provide their clients with more accurate information, potentially saving time and money.

Download the Product Comparison Matrix and Toolkit

Choosing the right level of environmental risk assessment can have a significant impact on your property transactions. To help you make the best decision, we invite you to download and review the product comparison matrix and toolkit. These resources will help you make informed decisions about which assessments to order, ensuring that you provide the best possible service to your clients.

Download Product Comparison

Download Product Toolkit

Don’t leave your decisions to chance—rely on Landmark’s 30 years of expertise and experience to keep your transaction moving.

The original version of this article was originally published by Landmark Information Group. For more information from the full range of Environmental Insights remastered products available top order from OneSearch, click here.

Environmental risks play a crucial role in property transactions, and as conveyancers and solicitors, conducting thorough environmental searches is key to safeguarding your clients’ interests. 

Our parent company Landmark has long been the trusted provider of comprehensive environmental search reports. Now, with their enhanced residential product portfolio, we cover all environmental risks included in every Landmark residential report—allowing you to choose the report best suited to you, from basic identification to full expert analysis.

In addition to providing a more flexible and thorough assessment, we’re excited to announce two major improvements: the inclusion of climate change modules in the Landmark’s EnviroSearch and RiskView reports, plus an innovative approach to coal risk assessment. These advancements ensure that you’re equipped to handle today’s environmental challenges more effectively than ever.

The key environmental risks every conveyancer should consider:

  • Contaminated Land
  • Flood
  • Coal Mining
  • Climate Change
  • Planning
  • Ground Stability
  • Radon
  • Energy & Infrastructure
  • Planning Constraints

These risks can significantly impact property value, insurability and enjoyment of living in, what might be, your dream home. Landmark’s enhanced portfolio provides reports tailored to different levels of risk assessment, giving conveyancers the flexibility to choose the depth of analysis that best fits their needs.

Introducing the ‘coal revolution’: the new way of searching for coal risk

One of the most significant improvements in the new product line-up is the reimagined approach to coal risk assessments. With Landmark’s coal revolution, you can expect faster, more accurate and more comprehensive coal risk assessments. The symbiosis between alert and full assessments in the reports, combined with the added security of an equivalent to a No Search Required Certificate with £1 million indemnity, sets a new industry standard for coal mining risk assessments.

Climate Change: now included in EnviroSearch and RiskView

In response to increasing concerns about climate change, Landmark have also integrated their climate change modules into both Landmark EnviroSearch and RiskView products. These modules provide a forward-looking analysis of how climate change may impact a property over time, helping you and your clients understand potential long-term physical risks such as increased flooding, coastal erosion, as well as transitional risks such as energy efficiency of buildings. By incorporating climate change assessments, Landmark ensures that your due diligence is not just relevant for today but also for the future.

Landmark’s enhanced residential product portfolio: A closer look

Landmark’s enhanced suite of products is designed to meet the varied needs of conveyancers, from basic checks to detailed assessments. The three key products in this portfolio are:

  • Homecheck Residential: This report provides an initial assessment across all key risks, identifying potential issues that may require further investigation. It offers an overview that helps you determine if more in-depth analysis is necessary and whether a supplementary report is needed.
  • EnviroSearch Residential: This report offers a more detailed assessment, including the newly added climate change module. It provides a breakdown of risks and a full evaluation of each environmental peril, perfect for when more certainty is needed.
  • RiskView Residential: The most comprehensive product, RiskView Residential, includes full data assessments and expert analysis through Landmark’s environmental consultants. With the addition of the climate change module, this product delivers the highest level of accuracy and foresight, ensuring that all risks are meticulously evaluated.

Using Flood Risk as an example: the same site, different experience

To demonstrate how these products differ in practice, let’s look at a typical scenario involving flood risk assessment:

Scenario: A Homebuyer has had their offer accepted and is eagerly waiting to arrange their move in date. Before this is possible, their conveyancer is reviewing their Environmental Search to see if there are any concerns to flag to the Homebuyer.

  • Homecheck Residential: The report identifies that the property is in a flood-prone area, prompting further investigation. The assessment highlights potential risks but does not provide detailed specifics.

Report outcome – Identified

  • EnviroSearch Residential: This report offers a full flood assessment, breaking down the risk by specific perils such as River, Coastal, Surface Water, and Groundwater. In this case, a high risk for surface water flooding is identified, and recommendations are provided, including whether the site is insurable under standard terms. This product also includes the climate change module, offering insights into how future environmental changes might impact the property from flooding.

Report Outcome – Further Action

  • RiskView Residential: The RiskView report identifies the high risk of surface water flooding and refers the case to Landmark’s environmental consultants for expert evaluation. The consultants determine that the high-risk area is limited to an adjacent road, allowing them to downgrade the overall flood risk and provide a “Passed” outcome. Additionally, the climate change module helps evaluate long-term impacts, offering an even more comprehensive risk profile for the property and confirms the risk doesn’t worsen over time.

Report Outcome – Passed

Clarity & confidence: key benefits

These enhanced residential products offer the most comprehensive environmental reports on the market, presented in a format that’s easy to use and understand. Key benefits include:

  • Comprehensive Coverage: Every report covers all key environmental risks, from coal mining to planning and everything in between, ensuring thorough due diligence.
  • Clear Risk Assessment: The user-friendly format makes it easy for conveyancers and clients to understand the environmental risks and how they have been assessed.
  • Enhanced Usability: The reports retain a fixed structure to keep them familiar from one case to the next. The intuitive layout and navigation throughout make locating information straightforward.
  • Assessment Options: You can choose the level of detail required, with options ranging from basic checks to full expert analysis, including new features like the new innovative coal alert.

Comprehensive due diligence, made easy

Landmark’s new portfolio empowers you to provide your clients with the highest level of due diligence, helping them make informed decisions and avoid unpleasant surprises down the line. By addressing all key environmental risks in one report, you can confidently manage the complexities of environmental due diligence with ease.

Your next step

To learn more about how Landmark’s enhanced residential products and streamline your conveyancing process, download and review the Product Comparison Matrix and Toolkit today. These resources provide a side-by-side comparison of the different levels of risk assessment available, helping you make the best choice for your clients.

The original version of this article was originally published by Landmark Information Group. For more information from the full range of Environmental Insights remastered products available from OneSearch, click here.

Environmental insights are changing!

Our parent company Landmark Information Group are thrilled to share the launch of a remastered range of residential environmental search reports specifically designed to help you feel confident with search results, spend less time interpreting data and more time delivering excellent customer service.

Environmental Insights Remastered

Landmark’s remastered reports will still contain unmatched data and renowned in-house expert support but now with greater clarity, helping you navigate the most complex transactions, seamlessly.

Remastered content and design, led by conveyancers 

To support these latest updates, Landmark engaged with over 200 residential conveyancers, from high street to multi practice firms; the invaluable feedback they provided together with Landmark’s 30 years of experience in property and land data, has allowed Landmark to remaster and shape environmental reports that properly satisfy the need for readability, comprehension and expediency. 

Comprehensive due diligence, made easy

  • New and upgraded risk modules to ensure we provide not only the most comprehensive reports in the market but the simplest way to convey environmental risk.
  • Visually enhanced front pages – providing greater transparency for conveyancers to save valuable time.
  • New executive summary pages for both conveyancers and homebuyers to understand quickly and easily which risks are relevant for that location and what to do next.
  • Homebuyer guidance – to ensure your clients understand the report context. 

Remastered Delivery 

From the research Landmark carried out, PDF delivery is still extremely popular, but there was an awareness that digital formats will be the future moving forward. To support and prepare conveyancers with this transition Landmark’s remastered reports will be digitally enabled, giving choice on how you want to receive environmental insight information in the future.

To view the remastered catalogue, click the related products links below.

In July 2024, OneSearch’s parent company, Landmark Information Group, interviewed 100 residential property solicitors and conveyancers in England, Scotland, and Wales.

Together, we asked about artificial intelligence, digital transformation, legislative changes, upfront information, and much more.

The responses shaped our new Market Research Report – ‘Residential Conveyancing: Looking ahead to 2025’ – which covers their challenges, concerns, priorities, and predictions for the coming year.

Find out what they said and download the report.

Our parent company Landmark’s latest Residential Property Trends Report for Q3 2024 is now available. This thorough analysis explores the property transaction landscape in England, Scotland and Wales, offering valuable insights into key market dynamics, including listings, SSTC/SSTM, searches ordered and completions.

A mixed picture of cautious optimism 

The residential market in Q3 2024 reveals a mixed landscape, showing a 6% increase in listings compared to Q3 2019 in England and Wales. However, this positive trend is overshadowed with completion volumes 42% lower in Q3 ‘24 vs Q3 ‘19, indicating continued challenges of progressing demand within the market. 

Ongoing external economic and political turbulence is still causing affordability constraints and buyer caution, as home-movers pause ahead of the Budget in the hope of more favourable interest rates. Many buyers are taking a wait-and-see approach, but there could be signs of potential recovery in Q4, especially if political and economic factors continue to stabilise. 

Ongoing inefficiencies in home buying and selling also hinder the process, with Scotland – which has a more streamlined transaction process – showing healthier completions than England and Wales. While both markets saw a 6% increase in listings, Scotland experienced only a 13% drop in completion rates since 2019, compared to a 42% drop in England and Wales. 

Other key findings from Q3 ‘24 include: 

  • In England, Wales and Scotland, listing volumes were up 6% in Q3 ‘24 vs Q3 ‘19.  
  • In England, SSTC volumes in Q3 ‘24 were down 37% when compared to Q3 ‘19 volumes. In Scotland, SSTM levels were down 23% in Q3 ‘24 vs Q3 ‘19. 
  • In England and Wales, completions have fallen 42% vs Q3 2019. In Scotland, completions were down just 13% vs Q3 2019. 

Download the report to discover the latest trends impacting the residential sector in Q3 2024. 

Climate change is no longer a ‘next generation’ threat; it’s on our doorstep impacting many different aspects of our lives, not least within the property sector.

Buildings are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions, and the effects of climate change are posing considerable risks to property values and future habitability. It is now undeniable that our sector needs to adapt.

“The property sector is a big part of the problem, as today, 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from our buildings. If left unchecked, this is set to double by 2050.”

– Chris Loaring, Group Sustainability Director, Landmark Information Group 

To understand how the property industry is starting to adapt, Landmark conducted comprehensive market research of 150 senior level employees working in estate agency, residential conveyancing, and mortgage lending across England, Scotland and Wales. Our findings have helped us gauge the growing commitment towards sustainability, and how we can help support and nurture this further.

The consensus from the industry

Our report, “Climate change in the property sector: a cross-market perspective,” takes a thorough dive into the findings:

Growing concern

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. A significant majority of property professionals (72%) recognise the urgent need to address its impacts. This growing awareness is driving a shift towards sustainable practices within the industry.

Client awareness

Property professionals said that clients are increasingly concerned about the potential effects of climate change on their property purchases. Flooding (60%), energy efficiency (58%), and local planning (56%) are among the top priorities for homebuyers. As climate risks become more apparent, these concerns are influencing decision-making processes.

Shifting practices

The property industry is adapting to the changing climate, and more professionals are actively advising clients. For example, mortgage lenders are, on average, advising 48% of their clients on potential climate change risks to their property, a similar number can also be seen from estate agents (49%).

Room for improvement

While the industry is making progress, there is still room for improvement. Less than 60% of conveyancing firms are currently on track to meet carbon emission targets. This highlights the need for continued efforts to reduce the industry’s environmental impact.

Encouragingly, more businesses have created net zero strategies (76%, up from 52% in 2023). Conveyancers have made significant progress, with 48% having published their own strategies. This is a demonstrable sign at just how much positive momentum towards solutions the industry is taking when it comes to the fight against climate change.

Download our report

To gain a deeper understanding of the trends and insights from our research, download your copy of ‘Climate change in the property sector: a cross-market perspective‘ here:

*World Green Building Council report: Embodied Carbon – World Green Building Council (worldgbc.org)