Knowledge of the local Leeds area is key to an easier, faster move. Our Solicitors' maintain a network of Leeds contacts and furthermore, any areas of particular consideration when buying or selling in Leeds will also be examined in detail.

We have assisted home movers throughout Leeds, including Conveyancing in Conveyancing LS1 through to LS20.

Do you know if your Leeds new home could be located in an at risk conservation area?

Are you Intending to buy a home in a conservation area in Leeds? Local authorities define conservation areas to manage change in residential (and industrial) areas that people wish to protect from out of original character development. Living in a designated area can add a significant amount to the value of your home. However, sadly many are falling into neglect e.g. proliferation of satellite dishes.

The following conservation areas are reported as at risk:

• Buslingthorpe, Leeds - poor, high vulnerability and deteriorating.
• Chapeltown, Leeds - very bad, low vulnerability and improving.
• Holbeck, Leeds - very bad, medium vulnerability and no significant change.
• Stank Hall, Leeds - very bad, medium vulnerability and deteriorating.

Contact Richard Taylor on 0113 247 8145 for more information.

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. Lenders have also reduced the size of their panels, setting more restrictive criteria for membership. 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. Issues to consider if you intend to swap to a firm on the panel:

• The second firm may have a different fee structure, or higher fees
• Work which the first solicitor has completed already may need to be paid for regardless of your decision.
• Your new conveyancing solicitor may have weaker local knowledge.

Looking for a mortgage lender with a branch in Leeds, Kent, try:

• NatWest Bank plc, 52, Harrogate Rd, Chapel Allerton, LS7 4LA - Tel: 0845 6002803
• Yorkshire Building Society, 150, Briggate, LS1 6BR - Tel: 0845 1200823
• Yorkshire Bank, 215, Town St, Bramley, LS13 3JL - Tel: 0844 7368368
• Leeds Building Society, 3, Stainbeck Corner, LS7 3PG - Tel: 0113 225 8550
• Halifax, 32, Commercial Street, LS1 6EY - Tel: 08456 814048
• Lloyds TSB Bank plc, 44, Queen St, Morley, LS27 9BR - Tel: 0845 3000000

Transportation Concerns in Leeds

Buyers will want to know if major roadwork's are planned in the vicinity of their prospective purchase, which might affect the property. Local searches confirm any proposals for the following in respect of any highway adjoining the property:

• making it one-way
• permanently stopping it up or diverting it
• introducing parking restrictions or changing existing restrictions (including residents parking permits)
• introducing width or weight restrictions
• speed restrictions, traffic calming measures including speed humps (sleeping policemen)
• cycle tracks

Councils often propose large schemes dependent on funding from central government or the private sector. These could be referred to in searches, but may never commence.