"Whether you are buying or selling, awareness of local considerations will positively impact the likelihood of a successful sale or purchase. Associations with local authorities and other sources of detailed Houghton Le Spring issues are maintained by our Solicitors to streamline the Conveyancing process. They are also highly familiar with areas needing special consideration across Houghton Le Spring.

We have assisted home movers throughout Houghton Le Spring, including Conveyancing in DH4."

Local issues considered by Houghton Le Spring Conveyancing Solicitors:

Transportation Concerns in Houghton Le Spring

Significant highway works, or the expansion of the UK's rail system, can cause a great deal of inconvenience to unlucky homeowners living near construction. Buyers should be aware of any schemes (underway, or planned) in the Houghton Le Spring area. Local searches for road and rail works reveal whether the property is within 200 metres of:

• any proposed new road
• any proposed alteration to an existing road involving construction of an underpass, flyover, bridge, elevated road or roundabout
• road widening or making an existing road a dual carriageway
• a proposed railway, tramway, light railway or monorail

If a search shows that a property is affected, it will be necessary for the buyers Conveyancing Solicitor to contact the relevant highway authority for more details.

The consequences of your solicitor not being on your Mortgage 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. More recently, lenders have begun to remove firms which have either not completed many conveyancing transactions or have failed to meet other criteria. If your Houghton Le Spring conveyancing solicitor is not on your preferred lender's panel, then the lender will not instruct that firm to act in connection with the mortgage. You then have a choice; 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 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 Houghton Le Spring area.

Looking for a mortgage lender with a branch in Houghton Le Spring, Tyne and Wear, try:

• Barclays Bank plc, 3, Front St, Hetton-Le-Hole, DH5 9NU - Tel: 0845 7555555
• Lloyds TSB Bank plc, 33, Newbottle St, DH4 4AP - Tel: 0845 3000000

Disadvantaged Areas in Houghton Le Spring

Purchases of property in Houghton Le Spring 'disadvantaged areas' are eligible for stamp duty. In England and Wales, they are based on electoral wards. No stamp duty is due for houses bought in a Houghton Le Spring disadvantaged area under the £150k threshold. Note that normal rates of duty apply sales above £150,000. By making a straightforward search by postcode, you can usually determine if a property purchase below £150,000 will benefit, however. However this is not always accurate, and may not work for recently built properties.

Disadvantaged areas in Houghton Le Spring include Hetton, Houghton.