Moving home in Okehampton? Local knowledge makes all the difference. Fridaysmove's Okehampton Conveyancing team is able to employ their local knowledge to help you move home sooner. With regard to issues commonly arising during Okehampton home-moves, your Solicitor will also utilise their area experience to anticipate and resolve these before they affect you.

We have assisted home movers throughout Okehampton, including Conveyancing in EX20.

Searches in Okehampton

If your are looking to purchase a home in Okehampton a Solicitor is required by your lender to apply to the council for Local Authority Searches. The Local Authority for Okehampton is West Devon Borough Council, Kilworthy Park, Tavistock, DEvon, PL19 0BZ. Tel: 01822 813 601

Coal and Brine Pumping Searches

There has never been any central record of all mines, so it can be difficult to find comprehensive information about mining activity in or near Okehampton. If a residence is located in an area where mining occurred, or is thought to have taken place, a search will be undertaken. A coal search will indicate whether any opencast workings have taken place or are planned in the vicinity. A separate environmental search is therefore also required in affected areas. Unfortunately, due to the industry's extremely long history, and the fact that there has never been any central mining authority, there is no single source of information about the location of mines. This means that searches are less straightforward than a buyer may anticipate.

Tin mining activity has now generally ceased in the vicinity of Okehampton, but if international tin prices rise, the region's mines could be re-opened. One significant problem associated with these tin-mining areas is the existence of 'mundic' used in the construction of houses, a form of concrete made from mine waste which degrades over time, and can damage surrounding elements.

What are the consequences if your solicitor is not on your 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. If your lender does not accept your chosen solicitor, you must make a decision as to how to proceed; 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. 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 Okehampton, Devon, try:

• Barclays Bank plc, Red Lion Yard, Fore St, EX20 1AW - Tel: 0845 7555555
• NatWest Bank plc, 40, Fore St, EX20 1EY - Tel: 0845 6002803