How Much Does a Bankruptcy Search (K16) Cost When Buying a House?

What the K16 search actually checks

The K16 is an official search of the Land Charges register against a person's name, limited to bankruptcy entries. It reveals whether a bankruptcy petition or order has been registered against the buyer. It is the buyer who is searched, not the property: the lender wants to know the person it is lending to is not insolvent before the mortgage advance is released, because a bankrupt's assets vest in the trustee in bankruptcy.

The full K15 search covers all Land Charges entries against a name and is used on unregistered land, where charges are registered against owners' names rather than a title number. Most residential purchases involve registered land, so the K16 is the one that appears on a buyer's completion statement.

Why the quote says £2 to £5 and gov.uk says £6 to £7

The gov.uk fee table for HM Land Registry Land Charges services, last updated 9 December 2024, lists the K15 and K16 official search at £7 per name by post and £6 per name through the portal. The conveyancing guides we checked on the same day quote lower figures: £2 to £5 (Conveyancing Calculator), £2 to £4 (AWD Law), £4 (HomeOwners Alliance) and £2 (Propelr). Some of those guides may predate the current fee table, and some firms round or absorb small disbursements.

Either way it is one of the smallest lines on a completion statement. The conveyancing disbursements that actually move the total are the search pack and the Land Registry registration fee.

Timing: the search is done late

• The search is usually run shortly before completion, after exchange, because the lender wants the position as close to the advance as possible.
• Each borrower is searched separately, so a joint purchase pays twice.
• If a name variant or a common name throws up an entry that is not you, the solicitor files a certificate confirming it does not apply. That is routine and does not delay completion.
• A genuine entry is a serious problem: the lender will not release funds, and the purchase cannot proceed until the position is resolved.

How to check yourself, free

gov.uk's Individual Insolvency Register can be searched free of charge for bankruptcies, debt relief orders and individual voluntary arrangements in England and Wales. If you have any doubt about an old debt, check it before you apply for a mortgage rather than at the point of completion, when the cost of a surprise is a collapsed purchase.

The register is also useful in the other direction. If the seller is a private individual and you have any reason to think they are in financial difficulty, a free search reassures you the sale is not about to be interrupted by a trustee. For company sellers, HomeBuyerCheck's Premium report runs the equivalent check at Companies House automatically.