Moulton - It's not just what you know, it's who you know. Our Property Lawyers use their local knowledge and expertise to improve your home-moving experience.

The consequences of your solicitor not being on your Mortgage Lender's panel

Lenders once permitted any solicitors' firm to join their panel. These panels were established so that firms could join and thereby perform legal work on mortgages on behalf of lenders. Lenders have also reduced the size of their panels, setting more restrictive criteria for membership. In order to proceed where your lawyer is not on a mortgage lender' s panel, you have the following options; you can either select a different lender or solicitor. It is possible to continue with your original choices, but your lender will expect you to pay for the legal costs relating to the mortgage. Bear in mind that it is usually more efficient and less expensive for the same firm act for you and your lender. If you choose to remain with your first choice of Moulton-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

Are you eligible for Moulton stamp duty relief?

Stamp duty relief may be available in nearly 2,000 'disadvantaged areas' nationwide. These are based on electoral divisions and local government wards. These disadvantaged areas do not always coincide with postcode districts, so the postcode search tool cannot always be relied on. Note that normal rates of duty apply sales above £150,000. By making a straightforward search by postcode, you can usually determine if a property purchase below £150,000 will benefit, however. This search may not be 100% reliable, particularly in the case of new builds.

Searches

When purchasing a new home in Moulton your property lawyer is required to get Searches. The Local Authority for Moulton is Northampton Borough Council, The Guildhall, St Giles Square, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DE. Tel: 01604 837 837 or out of hours emergencies on: 01452 396 220