2026 UK Coal Mining Search & Follow-Up Report Fee Table
Conveyancing solicitors often bundle mining searches into a single 'Search Pack Fee' of £300 to £450 without breaking down the individual disbursements. Here is the transparent breakdown of official UK coal mining reports and follow-up engineering certificates:
| Report / Certificate Type | Direct Official Cost (Inc. VAT) | Typical Turnaround Time | When It Is Needed | Who Normally Pays? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postcode Coalfield Map Screening | £0 (100% Free Online) | Instant | Before making an offer on a property | Free for buyers & homeowners |
| Official Residential CON29M Report | £45 – £85 | 24 to 48 Hours | Mandatory for any mortgaged house purchase in a coalfield area | The Buyer (part of conveyancing search pack) |
| Combined Environmental + CON29M Bundle | £85 – £135 | 24 to 48 Hours | Combines contaminated land, flood & official CON29M in one PDF | The Buyer |
| Subsidence Claims History & Completion Pack | £45 – £75 | 2 to 5 Working Days | Triggered if Question 9 of CON29M flags a past claim on the property | Usually negotiated onto the Seller |
| Mine Entry Interpretive Report (Shaft <20m) | £140 – £195 | 3 to 5 Working Days | Triggered if Question 4 of CON29M shows a shaft/adit within 20 metres | Usually negotiated onto the Seller |
| Commercial / Development CON29M Report | £125 – £260+ | 2 to 5 Working Days | Commercial buildings, land plots & Class MA conversions in coalfields | The Developer / Commercial Buyer |
How to Run a Free Coal Mining Check by Postcode in 60 Seconds
You do not need to wait for a solicitor or spend £75 to find out if a house you are viewing on Rightmove or Zoopla sits over shallow coal workings or next to a mine shaft. You can verify the site for free before you even book a second viewing:
1. Run Our Free UK Online Property Check: Enter the property postcode on our UK Online Property Check to inspect its construction age, EPC floor area, flood risk, and local authority planning history.
2. Open the Official Interactive Coalfield Map Viewer: Visit the Mining Remediation Authority's public interactive GIS map viewer and enter the property postcode.
3. Toggle on Three Key Map Layers: Turn on 'Coal Mining Reporting Area' (to see if a CON29M will be required by your mortgage lender), 'Mine Entries' (which plots every recorded vertical shaft and adit as a point symbol), and 'Development High Risk Area' (which shades zones of shallow unrecorded coal seams within 30m of the surface).
No. While the free interactive map is an unbeatable tool for screening a house before making an offer (allowing you to spot a mine shaft in a back garden before spending a penny on solicitors), UK mortgage lenders legally require a dated, insured CON29M PDF certificate in the conveyancing file before releasing mortgage funds.
Who Should Pay If the CON29M Reveals a Mine Shaft or Unresolved Claim?
While the buyer always pays the £45–£85 cost of the initial CON29M search, discovering an adverse entry—such as a mine shaft within 12 metres of the kitchen extension or a 1998 subsidence claim with no completion certificate—changes the negotiation completely.
Because the seller cannot sell the property to ANY mortgaged buyer without clearing that defect, your conveyancing solicitor should immediately require the seller to pay the £140–£195 fee for the Mine Entry Interpretive Report (and any £80–£180 No-Search / Mine Entry Indemnity Insurance Policy required by your bank).
Smart Buyer Cost-Saving Checklist
Follow these four steps to avoid wasted search fees: