Published by HouseCheckup

Buying guide: Property checks

How to Check Coal Mining Risk Before Buying a UK Property (2026 Guide)

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Type the full address with its postcode to go straight to your report options. Try .

  • 65+ official sources
  • Emailed within 24 hours, usually faster
  • Sources and coverage gaps named
  • One-off payment, no subscription

Quick answer

For coal mining risk, start with the relevant official source: Coal Authority Interactive Map Viewer. Check its location resolution and coverage. HouseCheckup Complete at £24.99 can organise available screening findings, but unknown records remain unknown and a favourable result does not replace professional investigation.

Services compared

#ServicePriceEntry tierCoverageBest forLink
1PostcodeCheckFree area report; buyer report £3.99 one-offFree postcode-area report advertisedArea information; confirm paid address coverageFree area context and a lower-priced optional buyer reportVisit
2HomeBuyerCheckPremium £4.99; Premium+ £6.99 one-offFree initial checks advertisedConfirm the address and each dataset's coverageLower-priced consumer reports and advertised ownership/company contextVisit
3MyPropertyScan£9.99 one-off; free previewFree preview advertisedCheck address support and topic-specific methodologyA consumer report with a published methodology and PDF offerVisit
4HouseCheckupOur product£9.99 Lite / £24.99 CompleteFree topic checkers; address reports are paidCoverage varies by topic and UK nationOne property's available screening records reviewed by a personTry it
5Move iQ / Sprift consumer reportsKey Facts 1 £14.99; Key Facts 2 £19.99; Full Spencer £24.99Public sample and contents informationCheck the selected property and bundleA named property or property-and-local-information bundleVisit
6Official public sourcesFree online lookups where offered; official documents/searches may have feesYes, for the linked public information servicesChoose the appropriate national and topic-specific sourceAnswering one clear question directly at its sourceVisit

How this guide was prepared

HouseCheckup publishes this guide and sells one of the services discussed. Entries are ordered to explain different buying uses, not by an independently measured quality score. Prices and stated contents were checked against the linked public offers on 5 September 2026; we did not purchase every competing report or test its accuracy. Confirm the selected product, VAT, access limits and renewal terms before paying.

Detailed reviews

#1

PostcodeCheck

Free area report; buyer report £3.99 one-off

PostcodeCheck advertises a free area report and a £3.99 optional buyer report. The two products should not be treated as having identical detail, and we have not bought the paid output.

Pros

  • Free starting point
  • Buyer-report price below both HouseCheckup tiers

Cons

  • Area statistics are not a building assessment
  • Paid report quality not independently tested here
#2

HomeBuyerCheck

Premium £4.99; Premium+ £6.99 one-off

The public offer lists Premium at £4.99 and Premium+ at £6.99, with a £2 upgrade. It advertises ownership, company, tribunal and AI-assisted information. Those descriptions are not our independent validation of individual report findings.

Pros

  • Lower published entry price than HouseCheckup
  • Public tier descriptions

Cons

  • Paid output not tested by us
  • A company record is not a solvency or title opinion
#3

MyPropertyScan

£9.99 one-off; free preview

MyPropertyScan advertises a £9.99 full report with PDF. Its ground methodology describes BGS Engineering Geology at 1:1 million scale, a directional screen rather than a parcel-level GeoSure assessment or foundations inspection.

Pros

  • Published methodology
  • Free preview and a named one-off price

Cons

  • Broad-scale ground source has important resolution limits
  • Generated paid report not tested by us
#4

HouseCheckup

£9.99 Lite / £24.99 Complete

Available public records assembled for one property and reviewed by a person, with findings and coverage gaps emailed to the buyer. Sources and location resolution vary by topic and nation. This is screening, not a building inspection, formal valuation, legal opinion or official conveyancing search.

Pros

  • One-off purchase
  • Human review and an emailed report
  • Source-dependent findings and coverage gaps

Cons

  • No automated valuation or mortgage offer
  • No guaranteed result for every topic
  • Does not replace official searches or a survey
#5

Move iQ / Sprift consumer reports

Key Facts 1 £14.99; Key Facts 2 £19.99; Full Spencer £24.99

The Sprift-hosted consumer purchase page lists Key Facts Property at £14.99, Key Facts Property & Local at £19.99 and Full Spencer at £24.99. These are different bundles, separate from Sprift's professional platform.

Pros

  • Direct consumer purchase path
  • Three named report levels

Cons

  • Entry price is not the full bundle price
  • We have not independently tested the paid results
#6

Official public sources

Free online lookups where offered; official documents/searches may have fees

Use the relevant official flood service, EPC register, school inspection body or HM Land Registry transaction data for the question you have. Sources differ across the UK. Combining them yourself takes time and does not produce a survey or legal opinion.

Pros

  • Direct source and methodology
  • Useful free starting point

Cons

  • Different geographic coverage and location resolution
  • The buyer must interpret and reconcile separate records

Verdict

Use Coal Authority Interactive Map Viewer as a starting point for coal mining risk, and confirm its geographic and location limits. A map category or absent record cannot clear the property. Commission any specialist assessment your surveyor or conveyancer recommends; a paid screening report is a separate optional source of context.

Review the report for your chosen home

Complete (£24.99) brings available source records, flags and questions into a human-checked report. Some sources describe a postcode or wider area; coverage and resolution are stated. Review the contents before paying, and take inspection and legal questions to your surveyor and conveyancer.

Type the full address with its postcode to go straight to your report options. Try .

£24.99 one-off · no subscription · Human-checked and emailed to you. See a sample report · Review report options and coverage

Cancel for a full refund at any time before your report is emailed. Terms

Sources

How HouseCheckup works

From search to full report in three simple steps.

  1. England, Wales & Scotland

    Search any address

    Enter an address in England, Wales and Scotland. Coverage varies by nation and source.

  2. Before you pay

    See the IQ Score

    See an initial area risk screen where enough data is available, with the checks and coverage behind the score.

  3. Emailed within 24 hours

    Get the full report

    Choose Lite (£9.99) or Complete (£24.99). The report is emailed to you within 24 hours, usually faster, with every source named and any check it could not run stated.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if a UK property has coal-mining risk?
If the property sits in a former coalfield (Northumberland-Durham, Yorkshire, Nottinghamshire-Derbyshire, South Wales, Forest of Dean, North Staffordshire, Lancashire, or Kent), risk is presumed material until the Coal Authority CON29M search clears it. HouseCheckup reports available screening records and coverage gaps; it does not provide a legal opinion, inspection, investment model or guarantee that a risk is absent.
What does a Coal Authority CON29M mining search cost?
£35–£50 typically, ordered by your solicitor as part of the £250–450 conveyancing search pack at offer-accepted. The search returns whether the property is in a reported coal-mining area; whether shallow workings or mine entries are recorded within 20 metres; whether gas-emission monitoring is required; and any compensation history. HouseCheckup reports available screening records and coverage gaps; it does not provide a legal opinion, inspection, investment model or guarantee that a risk is absent.
Will my mortgage be refused on a former-coalfield property?
Generally no. Mortgages are routine on former-coalfield properties provided the CON29M comes back clear (no shallow workings within 20m, no surface hazards reported). If the search flags active shallow workings, mortgage and insurance may face restrictions. A pre-offer £24.99 check shows the BGS data so you know what to expect before paying for the formal search.
Does the Coal Authority compensate for mining-related damage?
Yes. The Coal Mining Subsidence Compensation Scheme provides compensation for damage caused by past coal-mining subsidence. Claims are made through the Coal Authority directly. Time limits and evidence requirements apply. HouseCheckup reports available screening records and coverage gaps; it does not provide a legal opinion, inspection, investment model or guarantee that a risk is absent.
Are former-coalfield properties cheaper to buy?
Often yes. Average house prices in former-coalfield regions (parts of South Yorkshire, Northumberland, South Wales) sit 20–40% below the UK average. The risk is priced in. HouseCheckup reports available screening records and coverage gaps; it does not provide a legal opinion, inspection, investment model or guarantee that a risk is absent.
What is included in a HouseCheckup report?
Available public records assembled for one property and reviewed by a person, with findings and coverage gaps emailed to the buyer. Sources and location resolution vary by topic and nation. This is screening, not a building inspection, formal valuation, legal opinion or official conveyancing search.
Do I need a paid report before offering?
Use free information first. A paid screening report is optional and useful only if it answers an information gap. It does not replace a survey or the official searches your conveyancer recommends.
Is this an independent ranking?
HouseCheckup publishes this guide and sells one of the services discussed. Entries are ordered to explain different buying uses, not by an independently measured quality score. Prices and stated contents were checked against the linked public offers on 5 September 2026; we did not purchase every competing report or test its accuracy. Confirm the selected product, VAT, access limits and renewal terms before paying.

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At a glance

  • One-off

    No subscription

    Pay once for each report you buy.

  • Named

    Sources & coverage

    Every report names its sources and the checks it could not run.

  • GB

    England, Wales & Scotland

    Coverage varies by nation and source, and is stated.

  • £9.99

    Reports from

    Lite £9.99, Complete £24.99.