"To improve your chances of a trouble-free move in Orpington, local knowledge matters. Fridaysmove's Orpington Conveyancing team is able to employ their local knowledge to help you move home sooner and they pay close attention to issues commonly arising during Orpington transactions.

We have assisted home movers throughout Orpington, including Conveyancing in BR5, BR6."

Local issues considered by Orpington Conveyancing Solicitors:

Orpington Stamp Duty Relief

Designated areas as 'disadvantaged areas' may qualify for relief from stamp duty, using local government wards to delineate boundaries. Because designated regions for relief are defined according to electoral wards, a postcode search is no guarantee a property will be eligible. Above this limit of £150k, nationwide rates apply regardless of whether the property is located within a disadvantaged area. A postcode search is worth undertaking to determine whether a residence under the £150k threshold is in a Disadvantaged area. Note that homes built very recently may also fail to show up on a search, even if they are technically eligible.

Orpington Council Tax Rates

When you are purchasing a property, your conveyancing solicitor will make enquires on your behalf to establish the council tax banding of the home. Bromley Council is responsible for council tax in Orpington. The bandings for 2012/13 are* -

• Band A - £865
• Band B - £1010
• Band C - £1154
• Band D - £1298
• Band E - £1586
• Band F - £1875
• Band G - £2163
• Band H - £2596

*Source - www.communities.gov.uk

What are the consequences if your solicitor is not on your lender's panel?

Mortgage lenders maintain panels of solicitors who they will instruct to carry out legal work on mortgages. At one time, many lenders, especially the large banks, were prepared to instruct any firm of solicitors who asked to be placed on their panel. 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; 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. If you decide to instruct another firm because they are on your lender's panel, you should bear in mind the following:

• The new firm might charge more or may charge additional fees.
• You might still have to pay your old firm for work they have already completed.
• The new firm may have no knowledge of the Orpington area.

Looking for a mortgage lender with a branch in Orpington, Greater London, try:

• Lloyds TSB Bank plc, 18, Station Square, Petts Wood, BR5 1LU - Tel: 0845 3000000
• NatWest Bank plc, 235, High St, BR6 0NS - Tel: 0845 6002803
• Santander, 97, Queensway, Petts Wood, BR5 1SG - Tel: 0845 7654321
• Barclays Bank plc, 12, Station Square, Petts Wood, BR5 1LT - Tel: 0845 7555555
• Halifax, 248-250, High St, BR6 0LZ - Tel: 01689 301113