"Awareness of local issues and concerns can mean the difference between a stress-free move, and a drawn-out and difficult process. Our Solicitors' maintain a network of Northamptonshire contacts. In addition, areas of concern specific to the Northamptonshire region will also be examined.

We have assisted home movers throughout Northamptonshire, including Conveyancing in LE16, MK19, NN10, NN11, NN12, NN13, NN14, NN15, NN16, NN17, NN18, NN2, NN29, NN4, NN6, NN8, NN9, OX17, PE8."

Local issues considered by Northamptonshire Conveyancing Solicitors:

Will your new home in Northamptonshire be affected by HS2?

The Government is planning on building a high speed rail link between London and Scotland called High Speed 2 (HS2). The first phase of construction will occur between London and the West Midlands. HS2's affect on property values and the environment is of concern to many Northamptonshire inhabitants. To check whether your property is within 200 metres of the proposed HS2 route, your solicitor will carry out a local authority search. Unfortunately, the search cannot give the complete picture of the full effect this line will have on local property.

The HS2 Search

Properties further than 200m away from the line, and therefore not covered by the relevant local authority search, will nevertheless be affected. Nearby residents will likely experience disruption as a result of HS2 construction, which could last upwards of 8 years. An informative HIGHSPEED 2 search covers a thousand metre range around a home, to resolve a number of issues. HS2 issues the search addresses:

• In which ways will HS2's proximity affect the home? (e.g value, noise)
• Is the nearby line through a tunnel, in a cutting, at ground level or on a viaduct?
• Does the home line near the first stage of the route? (London to Birmingham)

The HS2 report is reinforced by a £10mil indemnity policy. Your solicitor can advise further if necessary.

My property is within 200 metres of HS2 - should I be worried?

Only residences within 200 metres of HS2 construction work and the route itself will be identified during a local authority search. A HS2 search is also of relevance to buyers within 200m of the line. Certainly if the search suggests that your new home will be affected, you should bear in mind that once construction starts and the London to Birmingham HS2 Rail link becomes operational, current compensation legislation for noise and other blight factors (particularly any impact on the enjoyment of a view) can be a very drawn out and often unsatisfactory process. Fridaysmove do not intend to comment on he merits of the scheme of the adequacy of compensation procedures.

Northamptonshire 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. If an online search cannot determine whether a Northamptonshire home is located in a disadvantaged area, clarification should be sought from the local council. 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 relief is not generally available on commercial property, but some relief may be available for 'mixed use' premises such as a shop with a flat above.

Disadvantaged areas in Northamptonshire include Croyland.

Issues to consider when your lawyer is not on your Lender's panel

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. 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:

• 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