Moving home in Berkhamsted? Local knowledge makes all the difference. Your Property Lawyer will use their working associations with the local authority and other bodies to deliver better results. They are also cognisant of the issues and considerations native to the area.

We have assisted home movers throughout Berkhamsted, including Conveyancing in HP4.

Will your property purchase in Berkhamsted be affected by HS2?

Planning of the High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link between London and the North is now underway. Works are due to start in 2017, with the rail line up to Birmingham going online by 2026. Many are concerned about the impact HS2 will have property values and their local environment. To check whether your property is within 200 metres of the proposed HS2 route, your solicitor will carry out a local authority search. The impact of HS2 can range from compulsory purchase of your home, to noise and other disruption and/or a reduction in the value of your home.

Is a detailed HS2 Search worth it?

Construction work, traffic, noise pollution and vibration are all factors which could affect homes further than two hundred metres from HS2, but a local authority will not reveal this. Lasting for at least 8 years, works may cause severe disruption local Berkhamsted residents. An informative HIGHSPEED 2 search covers a thousand metre range around a home, to resolve a number of issues:

• Is the property located near stage one of the line?
• How will works affect the property?
• How will the fully operational line affect the property in years to come?
• Is the nearby route in a cutting, in a tunnel, or on a viaduct?

The HS2 report is reinforced by a £10mil indemnity policy. If you are concerned and want more detailed information you should raise this with your conveyancing solicitor.

If my property is within 200m should I be concerned?

Homes beyond the 200m threshold identified a local authority search will still be affected by issues such as noise, construction and road traffic. A more detailed search will assist buyers of property close to the route to ascertain whether a home will be affected. For affected residences, the government is launching new compensation measures by Autumn 2012. Measures will include schemes to streamline statutory purchase and sale and rent back procedures, and to accelerate small claims arising from for construction damage. Fridaysmove do not intend to comment on the merits of the scheme, the UK s current planning system, and the time it takes to implement large infrastructure schemes.

What are the consequences if your solicitor is not on your lender's panel?

Mortgage lenders maintain panels of solicitors who they will instruct to carry out legal work on mortgages. At one time, many lenders, especially the large banks, were prepared to instruct any firm of solicitors who asked to be placed on their panel. Recently, lenders have changed the criteria for the firms which they will accept on their panels. They have also reduced the size of their panels, removing firms which do not carry out much Conveyancing work or which they consider to have proved unsatisfactory in the past. If your lender does not accept your chosen solicitor, you must make a decision as to how to proceed; you could either obtain a mortgage from another lender, or instruct another firm of conveyancer who are on the panel. Generally, it is cheaper to have the same firm act both for you and your lender, but you could also choose to persist with both your first choice of lender and solicitor, and pay for a lawyer selected by the lender to carry out the relevant legal work. If you decide to instruct another firm because they are on your lender's panel, you should bear in mind the following:

• The new firm might charge more or may charge additional fees.
• You might still have to pay your old firm for work they have already completed.
• The new firm may have no knowledge of the Berkhamsted area.

Looking for a mortgage lender with a branch in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, try:

• NatWest Bank plc, 199, High St, HP4 1AW - Tel: 0845 6002803
• Santander, 230, High St, HP4 1BP - Tel: 0845 7654321
• Barclays Bank plc, 189, High St, HP4 1AY - Tel: 0845 7555555
• Nationwide Building Society, 197, High St, HP4 1AD - Tel: 0845 2660433

Berkhamsted Stamp Duty Relief

Designated areas as 'disadvantaged areas' may qualify for relief from stamp duty, using local government wards to delineate boundaries. Because designated regions for relief are defined according to electoral wards, a postcode search is no guarantee a property will be eligible. Above this limit of £150k, nationwide rates apply regardless of whether the property is located within a disadvantaged area. A postcode search is worth undertaking to determine whether a residence under the £150k threshold is in a Disadvantaged area. Note that homes built very recently may also fail to show up on a search, even if they are technically eligible.