"Kingston - It's not just what you know, it's who you know. Relevant and up-to-date area information is gathered by our Property Lawyers thanks to their network of Kingston contacts and furthermore, any areas of particular consideration when buying or selling in Kingston will also be examined in detail."

Local issues considered by Kingston Conveyancing Solicitors:

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. 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 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 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 do not switch firms, your lenders will instruct a solicitor themselves. You are expected to pay these costs in addition to your own, and as this firm may have a heavy caseload with many other matters underway, you will not have the same ability to stay abreast of developments and apply more pressure if delays occur.

Looking for a mortgage lender with a branch in Kingston, 0, try:

• Chelsea Building Society, 30-32, Thames Street, KT1 1PE - Tel: 020 8549 2582

Qualifying for stamp duty relief in Kingston

Purchases of property in Kingston 'disadvantaged areas' are eligible for stamp duty. These are based on electoral divisions and local government wards. As the areas which have been designated are based on local authority electoral wards, they do not always coincide with postcode districts. The postcode search tool cannot always be relied on to predict eligibility. If a search does not confirm whether am property is in a disadvantaged area, your solicitor should contact the local authority. By making a straightforward search by postcode, you can usually determine if a property purchase below £150,000 will benefit, however. Note that homes built very recently may also fail to show up on a search, even if they are technically eligible.