"Buying or selling property in Kingsdown? Local know-how will make the difference. Your Property Lawyer will use their working associations with the local authority and other bodies to deliver better results."

Local issues considered by Kingsdown Conveyancing Solicitors:

Qualifying for stamp duty relief in Kingsdown

Designated areas as 'disadvantaged areas' may qualify for relief from stamp duty. In England and Wales, they are based on local government wards and electoral divisions. No stamp duty is due for houses bought in a Kingsdown disadvantaged area under the £150k threshold. Above this limit of £150k, nationwide rates apply regardless of whether the property is located within a disadvantaged area. A postcode search will usually determine whether a home being sold for less than the threshold is eligible. Call for more information regarding Kingsdown disadvantaged areas, and to determine if your purchase is affected.

Official Searches in Kingsdown

If your are planning to buy a property in Kingsdown your lawyer must get Local Authority Searches (including (Con 29 enquiries, LLC1 and Con29 Part 2). The Local Authority for Kingsdown is Bristol City Council, The Council House, College Green, Bristol, BS1 5TR. Tel: 0117 922 2000

Fridaysmove property lawyers in Kingsdown are on all UK mortgage lender panels, including:

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. 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:

• Try to obtain a mortgage from another lender who will instruct your Conveyancing solicitor.
• Instruct another firm of Conveyancing solicitors who are on your lender's panel to handle your Conveyancing.
• Continue with your present Conveyancing solicitor, but accept that a separate firm will also act for the lender, and that you will have to pay their costs in addition.

It is usually cheaper to have the same firm act both for you and your lender, and carry out all the conveyancing work in connection with a purchase and the mortgage. If you choose to remain with your first choice of Kingsdown-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