You can maximise the likelihood of hassle-free Conveyancing, with a Solicitor with experience transacting property in region. Our Conveyancing specialists in Peckham have close working associations with a broad range of local information sources. Issues frequently arising in the region are also taken into consideration, thanks to this local expertise.

Searches

If your are intending to purchase a home in Peckham a Solicitor is required by your lender to conduct Official Local Authority Searches (Con 29 enquiries, LLC1 and Con29 Part 2). The Local Authority for Peckham is London Borough of Southwark Council, Town Hall, Peckham Road, London, SE5 8UB. Tel: 020 7525 5002

Peckham 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 Peckham 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.

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