Buying or selling property in Kingsnorth? 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.

My solicitor is not on my Lender's panel - what do I do?

Lenders maintain panels of law firms to perform mortgage legal work. While these panels were once open, allowing any firm to join, that is no longer the case. 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:

• Obtain a mortgage from a less restrictive lender
• Instruct a solicitor whom your lender accepts
• Pay the lenders costs for their solicitor in addition to your own

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. Be aware of the following, if you choose to remain with your first choice of law firm:

• You must now pay the lender's costs in addition to your own
• You will not get any priority from the lender's solicitors, as they will have many other cases underway, and you are unable contact these solicitors directly

Does your Kingsnorth purchase qualify for Stamp Duty Relief?

Around 2,000 wards nationwide are eligible for stamp duty relief. Areas designated are identified by local government ward or electoral divisions. Disadvantaged areas may not precisely match postcode areas, so a postcode search will be insufficient to ensure relief may be available. Above £150k, no stamp duty relief may be available. 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. This search may not be 100% reliable, particularly in the case of new builds.

Searches in Kingsnorth

If your are buying a new home in Kingsnorth a conveyancer will commission Searches. The Local Authority for Kingsnorth is Ashford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Tannery Lane, Ashford, Kent, TN23 1PL. Tel: 01233 331 111