This page is general information about one specialist conveyancing search. It is not legal advice and it does not tell you whether this search is required on your purchase. Ethical Conveyancing (TG Legal Services) is an introducer, not a regulated law firm. Panel solicitors regulated by the SRA do the legal work. If a mines and minerals search is ordered on your file, the solicitor will report the result and explain what it means for that property.
Last reviewed: 30 August 2026.
Owning a house is not always the same as owning everything beneath it. In parts of England and Wales, mines and minerals were reserved to someone else when the land was first sold — the Crown, a historic estate, a mining company, or a later owner of the mineral rights. A mines and minerals search is a desktop check, ordered as part of conveyancing, that looks at whether those rights sit with the surface owner or have been kept separate.
It is a specialist search. It is not the same as the core pack (local authority, environmental, water and drainage), and it is not the same as a coal mining / Coal Authority search, which is about recorded coal workings and subsidence. The two sometimes appear on the same file in former mining districts. The parent guide is Property searches — what they cover and typical costs.
What the search is looking for
Providers differ in the exact product, but a mines and minerals search typically reports on:
- whether mineral rights (coal, tin, slate, lead, copper and similar) appear to be included with the surface title or reserved to a third party;
- historic or current mining or extraction recorded in the datasets used;
- any indication of proposed or remaining extraction, where that is on the register the search covers;
- related notes the solicitor may need to read against the official copies of the title.
It is a records search, not a structural survey and not a guarantee that the ground will never move. Ground stability and coal-specific subsidence are often covered by other products (environmental search, Coal Authority search, or a surveyor’s opinion).
When solicitors often order it
Solicitors often order a mines and minerals search where:
- the property is in a historic mining area — for example parts of the Midlands, the North, South Wales, or south-west tin and slate districts;
- the environmental search or title already flags old workings, mineral reservations or a mining company as a noted interest;
- a lender’s handbook or the firm’s protocol asks for it on that postcode.
That is typical practice, not a rule that every rural or northern purchase “must” have this search. Plenty of urban freeholds never see one. The solicitor decides from the address, the title and (if there is a mortgage) the lender’s requirements. This page cannot tell you whether yours will be ordered.
Turnaround is often a few days (commonly quoted at around three to five), once instructed — faster than a local authority search. It still adds a step if it is only identified late.
Typical cost (market range, not an Ethical price)
A mines and minerals search is a disbursement. In the market it is often cited at around £50–£150, depending on the provider and the depth of the report. That is a typical range, not a quote from Ethical Conveyancing and not a promise that your file will fall inside it.
The legal fee is separate and fixed on our quotes (from £400; the figure for your purchase is on the purchase quote). If this search is needed, it should appear as an itemised extra disbursement — or be flagged before it is ordered, under the Ethical Promise.
If the purchase does not complete, searches already ordered are typically still payable even where the legal fee is waived. Property searches: abortive disbursements.
How results are reported to you
The search comes back to the solicitor, not to you as a raw portal login. They will usually:
- confirm whether mineral rights appear to be included or reserved;
- highlight anything the title or the report flags as worth an enquiry;
- explain, on that file, what options exist if the result is not clean — further title work, a question to the seller, a specialist opinion, or (in some cases) indemnity insurance.
Which of those, if any, is appropriate is advice on your transaction. This page does not rank those options and does not tell you to proceed, withdraw, or buy a policy.
A result that mentions third-party mineral rights is not automatically a reason the property cannot be bought, and a clear result is not a warranty against all ground risk. It is one more document on the file, read with the title, the coal search (if any), and the survey.
How this sits next to other searches
| Search | Typical question it answers |
|---|---|
| Mines and minerals | Who appears to own the mineral rights under the land? |
| Coal Authority / coal mining | What coal workings and claims are recorded for this location? |
| Environmental | What do desktop datasets say about contamination, flood, some ground stability, radon? |
| Survey | What can a surveyor see of the building and, within scope, the ground? |
Do not treat this article as a second full explainer of the core pack. For the pack, cash buyers, costs and abortive fees, use property searches.
Why people instruct through Ethical
Ethical Conveyancing is an introducer, not a regulated law firm. Panel solicitors do the legal work. What you get with us:
- Fixed legal fees — from £400 on a sale or purchase, from £230 on a remortgage. The legal fee we quote is the legal fee you pay. Disbursements (searches, Land Registry, and the like) sit on top.
- No Move, No Legal Fee — if the transaction does not complete, you do not pay our legal fee. Disbursements already incurred are still payable.
- A highly rated solicitor on our panel — not a call-centre file. Rated 4.9/5 or higher on review sites.
- A dedicated support manager and an online portal so you can track the file without chasing.
- A clear quote in under 60 seconds. We are not always the cheapest headline on a five-quote shop. We sell a fixed, itemised legal fee and a file you can actually follow.
Buying? Get a buying quote — the legal fee is fixed and separate from this search as a disbursement.
Frequently asked questions
Is a mines and minerals search the same as a coal mining search?
No. Coal mining reports (often from Coal Authority data) are about recorded coal workings and subsidence. Mines and minerals is about whether mineral rights are owned separately from the surface. In some postcodes solicitors order both.
Do I need one on every purchase?
No. Solicitors often order it in historic mining areas or where another search or the title flags a reservation. Your solicitor will say whether they intend to order it on your file.
How much does it cost?
Market figures are often around £50–£150 as a disbursement. That is not an Ethical pack price. If it is needed on your purchase, it should be itemised. Use the purchase quote for the legal fee.
How long does it take?
Often a few days, not weeks.
What happens if the search flags a third-party interest?
The solicitor reports it to you and advises on that file. This page does not prescribe insurance, a price reduction, or withdrawing.
I’m a cash buyer — does this still come up?
Sometimes, if the location or title warrants it. Cash buyers are not usually required by a lender to have a particular specialist search, but many still have the searches their solicitor proposes. Cash buyers and searches.
Related reading
- Property searches — what they cover and typical costs — parent guide
- How much does conveyancing cost in 2026?
- Buying a new build in 2026
- The conveyancing process, demystified