Terrafirma Ground Report
WHY CHOOSE THE GROUND REPORT BY TERRAFIRMA?
The Ground Report is a ground risks and liabilities report that includes an expert professional opinion, risk assessment and risk transfer on all potential ground risks, the only report to satisfy recent new ground perils guidance in the 25th Edition of the Law Society Conveyancing Handbook. The Terrafirma Ground Report translates the risk from mining activity, subsidence, sinkholes, radon, fracking, mineral planning activity and much more, allowing the purchaser to better understand the ground. The Ground Report includes all known Natural Ground Perils, including; Slope stability, running sands, sinkholes and erosion.
It also includes an expert analysis of natural, clay-related subsidence. For the first time, Terrafirma have combined the expertise and data of the British Geological Survey and Cranfield University, intelligently modelling sub-surface geology, soils, climatic scenarios and property attributes to produce the most accurate risk assessment available in the UK. The result of the subsidence risk assessment is then cross-referenced against Terrafirma’s evidence-based models, containing over 125,000 investigated subsidence claims, over 9000 sinkholes and over 9 million Satellite surface deformation data points. A professional opinion is provided within each report protected by £10 million Professional Indemnity, available to all parties within a property transaction and ensuring the clients are better protected from incorrect or missing information.
WHO DOES THE GROUND REPORT HELP?
Ground Report is suitable for the following:
- Residential
- Commercial
- Existing properties
- Development sites
- Nationwide
- Buyers
- Lenders
- Vendors
Ground Report is not suitable for the following:
- Specific areas
- Tenants
HOW DOES THE GROUND REPORT WORK?
The Ground Report is the first report to provide a full risk assessment on all types of mining and natural ground perils. It covers all types of mining, including Coal, Tin and metals, Limestone, Bath stone, Brine, Gypsum, Chalk, Clay, Stone and Iron. Therefore, there is no longer any need to order multiple mining reports, or spend time researching which report is required; you can rely on the Ground Report to identify all ground and mining hazards.
The report will be returned as a ‘pass’ or ‘further action’, and has a key included which identifies who within the transaction needs to complete the recommended actions.
WHAT DOES THE GROUND REPORT REVEAL?
The Ground Report quantifies the susceptibility of a Site to mining-related and natural ground instability. It also includes sections on ground movement, radon, oil and gas (fracking), mineral planning and development potential.
The Ground Report covers the risk from:
- Coal Mining
- All other Mining
- Clay Subsidence
- All other natural ground perils
- Coastal Hazards
- Radon
- Oil and Gas Activity
- Mineral Planning
PROPERTIES IN DEVON & CORNWALL
Terrafirma operate a working partnership with Cornwall Consultants for Ground report instructions within metalliferous mining areas within Devon & Cornwall. Whenever a Ground report instruction is received by Terrafirma for a property within a known metalliferous mining area within Devon & Cornwall, Terrafirma will partially complete the report (specifically the CON29M, Natural Ground Perils, Clay Subsidence and additional Ground Hazards information modules) and then pass the case to Cornwall Consultants who will then complete the ‘All Other Mining’ section of the Ground report. Cornwall Consultants will then complete the Law Society recommended Tin mining search and also will assess any other non-coal mining hazards within this region in completing the ‘All other mining’ module of the Ground report. Once Cornwall Consultants have completed this section of the report, the results are returned to Terrafirma for final quality assurance checks and then the report will be returned to the client. Please note there are no additional fees for those properties located within Devon or Cornwall.
AVAILABILITY
We aim to deliver the majority of Ground reports within 48 hours. However, complex sites or those requiring additional expert risk assessment or those located within Devon or Cornwall may take up to 4 working days.