Buying or selling property in Marks Gate? Local know-how will make the difference. By building contacts with local authorities, your Solicitor can deliver Conveyancing with fewer delays, and keep you better informed. In addition, areas of particular concern or relevancy to Marks Gate property are thoroughly investigated.

Qualifying for stamp duty relief in Marks Gate

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 Marks Gate 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 Marks Gate disadvantaged areas, and to determine if your purchase is affected.

Local Authority Searches

If your are intending to buy a home in Marks Gate a lawyer must carry out Official Local Authority Searches. The Local Authority for Marks Gate is London Borough of Redbridge Council, PO Box No.2, Town Hall, 128- 142 High Road, Essex, IG1 1DD. Tel: 020 8554 5000 or out of hours emergencies on: 01932 425 063

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 Marks Gate-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