FAQs

You should receive your FCI report within 48 hours. We normally respond to emails and queries within 48 hours. If dealing with certain enquiries is likely to take any longer, we will advise you.

Once an FCI report has been obtained it cannot be adjusted or amended other than in the Report Review Processes. To re-order or cancel a report please contact our team at FCI-Admin@dyedurham.com

To ensure that FCI reports are kept clear and concise we only present relevant data. To view the datasets that have been checked there is a data list at the bottom of each section in the FCI report.

The term ‘Contaminated Land’ is a legal definition, which is found in Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The presence of contamination by itself does not make a property ‘Contaminated Land’. The contamination present must be sufficiently severe to meet this legal definition through several tests and exclusions.

No, ‘Further action’ does not necessarily mean that the Property is contaminated. ‘Further Action’ simply means that your report has identified a potential source of significant contamination at, or near, the property, which needs further assessment.

You have three main options:

1. Review Service: If you have ordered an FCI Residential Report, you can take advantage of our free Report Review service, by submitting further information to the FCI Risk Team. The Risk Team will review this information with a view to the report result being changed to a ‘Pass’ (Please see guidance in your environmental report).
2. Enviro Appraisal Report: If you don’t have access to any further information to take advantage of the free review service, or your property is not a single residential dwelling, our experts can gather and interpret additional information on your behalf for a small fee. Please refer to the recommendations in your report, or call us on 01732 755 180 or email FCI-Admin@dyedurham.com
3. Insurance: A Contaminated Land Insurance policy may be available. You should seek professional advice on the suitability of any policy, and understand exactly what it will cover you for.

Alternatively, you may wish to proceed with your property purchase and undertake no further action. However, your solicitor is likely to advise against this, and if a lender is involved ‘doing nothing’ is often not an option.

We accept any of the below to attempt to revise the outcome of the report:

• A National House Building Council (NHBC) Buildmark Certificate (or similar)
  All post 2007 NHBC Buildmark Certificates with policy references starting ‘AG’ and beyond are accepted by our free review service.

NHBC Buildmark certificates dated pre-2007 must have contaminated land cover clearly shown as an endorsement on the policy documentation. 

• Confirmation of Discharge of Planning Conditions
  Developments after 2001 are likely to have considered the possibility of land contamination. In some instances, the planners will have imposed conditions on the development to make the developer investigate and remediate contamination. If you have a copy of the original planning permission for the development of your property, and the accompanying discharge notices for the relevant conditions, these may be accepted by our free review service.

• Letter from the Local Authority
  The Local Authority Environmental Health Department is responsible for investigating and designating properties as ‘Contaminated Land’ under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. If the Local Authority can provide a clear written statement confirming that it has no intention to investigate the Property, this is likely to be sufficient to change the report result in our Free Review service.

A range of affordable policies may be available from CLS.  For more information visit www.clsl.co.uk.

No. Environmental search reports are designed principally to meet the needs of the conveyancing process. While they can be a good indicator of contamination issues, the Planners will require a slightly more advanced environmental assessment in the first instance that takes account of the fact that the land is going to be altered . 

If you are intending to redevelop, please contact us on 01732 755 180 or email FCI-Admin@dyedurham.com so we can provide you with the right guidance to get your planning application on-track.    

The landfill data in our reports is sourced directly from the regulators. If you have additional queries or concerns regarding landfills (or any other features), in the first instance please contact one of our expert environmental consultants for advice by calling 01732 755 180, or email FCI-Admin@dyedurham.com

However, if you wish to speak directly with the regulators then please refer to the ‘Useful Contacts’ section at the back of your report which has details for the Environment Agency and your Local Authority.

Radon is a gas produced from the natural uranium in soils and rocks.

We use the paid BGS dataset which is better than the free version available in some searches or available online, as it is higher resolution and the risk areas more closely relates to the source geology.

Visit the UK Radon website https://www.ukradon.org/

From there you can also conduct your own radon tests.

A potential and lesser known option available to homebuyers is a Radon Bond, whereby an agreed amount of money can be put aside from the sale to pay for remedial works if determined necessary after the sale, allowing sufficient time for testing.

Where a ‘further action’ for flood risk is identified in an initial environmental search report, we have arranged for an affordable, property specific, fully manually assessed review of flood risk, from our specialist flood consultants, Ashfield Solutions Group.

The Flood Appraisal is derived from complementary data sources and flood mapping, coupled with expert independent insight from Ashfield Solutions Group’s experienced team. The conclusion of the Flood Appraisal provides clarity, detailing the risk to the property and either reducing the risk of flooding, or giving next steps guidance on practical measures that can be taken, ultimately making those all-important investment or property acquisition decisions that much easier.

If you would like to order a Flood Appraisal, this request will need to be placed by the professional advisor who ordered the initial environmental search report. A Flood Appraisal can be purchased from £195.00 + VAT for a Residential property and from £300.00 + VAT for Commercial properties.

Though the geology may mean that a ground stability problem can occur there are other factors which may affect this, such as the water table. Consult a surveyor to make sure that there are no signs of subsidence in the property.

Yes, the route is reported up to 3km away. And we also state whether the property is in a safeguarded area/ compensation zone.

10km Ordinance Survey national grid square areas were allocated.