Comparison guide
Auction legal pack vs a property report: what to check before you bid
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- 65+ official sources
- Emailed within 24 hours, usually faster
- Sources and coverage gaps named
- One-off payment, no subscription
What the report looks like inside
See the full sample →
IQ Score and the factors behind it
Flood risk at the postcode point
Six ground hazards, rated for the area
Landfill, permits and incidents nearby
What homes here sold for
The energy rating, now and after upgrades
Illustrative sample · fictional address · cut from the sample report as it prints
Quick answer
At an unconditional auction, contracts are exchanged on the fall of the hammer: you pay a deposit, normally 10%, and under the RICS Common Auction Conditions completion follows 20 business days later. So everything has to be checked before you bid. The legal pack, prepared by the seller's solicitor, sets out the conditions of sale and may include title documents, local searches and replies to pre-contract enquiries, so have a solicitor read it. A property report adds flood, ground, radon and mining screening for the address.
| Dimension | Pre-offer property report | Auction legal pack |
|---|---|---|
| Prepared by | You order it | The seller's solicitor |
| Purpose | Screens the risks around the address | Sets out what you are buying and the terms of sale |
| Conditions of sale | Not covered | Yes: general conditions and the special conditions for the lot |
| Title documents and local searches | Not covered | May be included; check how old any searches are |
| Replies to pre-contract enquiries | Not covered | May be included |
| Energy performance certificate | Complete includes EPC records where published | May be included |
| Flood, ground, radon and mining | Yes, screened from national datasets | Only if the seller included searches that cover them |
| Buyer's fees | Not covered | Should be stated in the particulars or the addendum |
| Timing | Emailed within 24 hours, usually faster | Published before the auction; check the addendum on the day |
Our verdict
The legal pack is the contract, and a solicitor has to read it before you bid. Nothing replaces that. But a pack tells you what the seller chose to put in it. The physical risks around the address may not be in it at all, and on an unconditional sale there is no chance to find out afterwards. Screen the lots you are serious about while there is still time to walk away.
Screen the lot before auction day
£9.99 Lite: flood, ground stability, radon and coal mining for the address. Emailed within 24 hours, usually faster.
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
Why auction buying front-loads every check
In a normal purchase you can investigate after your offer is accepted and still withdraw before exchange. An unconditional auction removes that stage. RICS describes contracts as exchanged on the fall of the hammer; you pay a deposit, normally 10%, and if the auctioneer uses the RICS Common Auction Conditions, completion is 20 business days after the auction, unless the special conditions say otherwise. Conditional auctions work differently: the winning bidder buys an option to exchange at the hammer price within a set period, usually four weeks.
Either way, the investigation you would normally spread across weeks has to happen in the days between the catalogue and the auction.
What the legal pack contains
The seller's solicitor prepares the legal pack, including the special conditions of sale. RICS lists other documents that may be in it: title documents, local searches, replies to standard pre-contract enquiries and an energy performance certificate. The auctioneer's addendum then publishes updates to the particulars and the legal pack, sometimes on the day itself, and RICS recommends that buyer's premiums and significant seller's costs the buyer will pay are stated in the particulars or the addendum.
Have a solicitor who understands auctions read the pack before you bid. The special conditions are where unusual costs and obligations hide, and a missing or out-of-date search is something to know about before you are committed, not after. Some packs include a search indemnity policy instead of searches. Our guide to search indemnity insurance explains what that does and does not cover.
What the pack may leave out
A legal pack contains what the seller decided to provide. It may include an environmental or mining search, or it may not. It will not, as a rule, tell you how the address sits against the official flood mapping, whether the ground is shrink–swell clay or a former coalfield, what the radon potential is, or what is registered nearby. Those are exactly the questions you lose the chance to ask once the hammer falls.
Screening a lot in the time you have
A pre-offer property report is built for a short window. It is emailed within 24 hours, usually faster, so it fits between the catalogue and the auction. £9.99 Lite screens flood risk and flood history, ground stability and subsidence, radon, coal mining and environmental registers nearby; £24.99 Complete adds sold-price records, EPC records and running costs, planning designations and the area picture. It is not a survey and it does not replace your solicitor's reading of the legal pack; it covers the ground the pack usually does not.
If you can arrange access, a survey before the auction is worth the cost on any lot you would struggle to walk away from. For properties in Scotland, Scottish law applies and the process differs, so check the auctioneer's terms.
Bidding soon? Check the address first
From £9.99, one-off. £24.99 Complete adds EPC records, sold prices and planning designations. Coverage varies by nation.
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
Sources
- Property auctions: a clear, impartial guide, RICS consumer guide
How HouseCheckup works
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Frequently asked questions
What is in an auction legal pack?
Is the fall of the hammer legally binding?
How long do I have to complete after an auction?
Should I get a survey before an auction?
Who should check the legal pack?
Are there extra fees for buying at auction?
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At a glance
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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
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Lite £9.99, Complete £24.99.