For a hassle-free sale or purchase in South Norwood, local knowledge matters. Fridaysmove-recommended Solicitors maintain close links with relevant local authorities.

Local Authority Searches

If your are planning to buy a property in South Norwood your lawyer must get Local Authority Searches (including (Con 29 enquiries, LLC1 and Con29 Part 2). The Local Authority for South Norwood is London Borough of Croydon Council, Taberner House, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 3JS. Tel: 020 8726 6004

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

Panels of solicitors are maintained by mortgage lenders in order to undertake legal work on mortgaged properties. 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. These options are available to any homebuyer whose solicitor is not on their lender's panel:

• Try to obtain a mortgage from another lender who will instruct your Conveyancing solicitor.
• Instruct another firm of Conveyancing solicitors who are on your lender's panel to handle your Conveyancing.
• Continue with your present Conveyancing solicitor, but accept that a separate firm will also act for the lender, and that you will have to pay their costs in addition.

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

Qualifying for stamp duty relief in South Norwood

Stamp duty relief may be available in nearly 2,000 'disadvantaged areas' nationwide. These are based on electoral divisions and local government wards. These wards do not always coincide with postcode districts, so the postcode search tool cannot always be relied on. Above this limit of £150k, nationwide rates apply regardless of whether the property is located within a disadvantaged area. By making a straightforward search by postcode, you can usually determine if a property purchase below £150,000 will benefit, however.

Need more information regarding stamp duty relief? Call our specialist South Norwood team today.