You can maximise the likelihood of hassle-free Conveyancing, with a Solicitor with experience transacting property in region. Our Conveyancing specialists in Catford have close working associations with a broad range of local information sources.

Official Searches in Catford

When purchasing a home in Catford your conveyancer has toconduct Local Authority Searches. The Local Authority for Catford is London Borough of Lewisham Council, Town Hall, Catford, London, SE6 4RU. Tel:

Issues to consider when your lawyer is not on your Lender's panel

Panels of solicitors are maintained by mortgage lenders in order to undertake legal work on mortgaged properties. Increasingly however, lenders have lowered the number of firms which they will accept and allow to perform this work. These options are available to any homebuyer whose solicitor is not on their lender's panel; you can either select a different lender or solicitor. It is possible to continue with your original choices, but your lender will expect you to pay for the legal costs relating to the mortgage. Bear in mind that it is usually more efficient and less expensive for the same firm act for you and your lender. If you choose to remain with your first choice of Catford-based solicitor, consider the following:

• Your lenders will instruct another firm, and you will have to pay their costs in addition to your own
• Your solicitor will have to send documents and information to the other solicitors, and wait for a response, which can cause delays
• Your case will be one of many which the lender's solicitors are dealing with, so it will be more difficult to engineer any priority treatment
• You cannot contact these solicitors directly, as they will be acting for the lender, not for you

Are you eligible for Catford stamp duty relief?

Stamp duty relief may be available for property purchases in Catford labelled as 'disadvantaged areas'. Local government wards or electoral divisions are used to define the boundaries of these. Because designated regions for relief are defined according to electoral wards, a postcode search is no guarantee a property will be eligible. Note that normal rates of duty apply sales above £150,000. That said, for any purchase below £150,000, it is worth making a simple postcode search to find out if a property is in a Disadvantaged area. However this is not always accurate, and may not work for recently built properties.