Moving home in Witney? Local knowledge makes all the difference. Our Conveyancing specialists in Witney have close working associations with a broad range of local information sources. In addition, areas of particular concern or relevancy to Witney property are thoroughly investigated.

We have assisted home movers throughout Witney, including Conveyancing in OX28, OX29.

Does your Witney purchase qualify for Stamp Duty Relief?

Disadvantaged areas relief may be available for property bought in around 2,000 locations across the country. These are based on electoral divisions and local government wards. As the areas which have been designated are based on local authority electoral wards, they do not always coincide with postcode districts. The postcode search tool cannot always be relied on to predict eligibility. If it is suspected that a property is located in a disadvantaged area, further enquiries are required to be made to the local council or authority. A postcode search is worth undertaking to determine whether a residence under the £150k threshold is in a Disadvantaged area. 'Mixed use' property, including a shop with an apartment above, may also receive stamp duty relief.

What are the consequences if your solicitor 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. Increasingly however, lenders have lowered the number of firms which they will accept and allow to perform this work. To proceed where your Witney lawyer is not on a mortgage lender' s panel, you have the following options:

• 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. If you choose to remain with your first choice of Witney-based solicitor, consider the following:

• Your lenders will instruct another firm, and you will have to pay their costs in addition to your own
• Your solicitor will have to send documents and information to the other solicitors, and wait for a response, which can cause delays
• Your case will be one of many which the lender's solicitors are dealing with, so it will be more difficult to engineer any priority treatment
• You cannot contact these solicitors directly, as they will be acting for the lender, not for you

Looking for a mortgage lender with a branch in Witney, Oxfordshire, try:

• Barclays Bank plc, 30, Market Square, OX28 6BJ - Tel: 0845 7555555
• Lloyds TSB Bank plc, 2-4, Market Square, OX28 6RD - Tel: 0845 3000000
• Santander, 34, High St, OX28 6HG - Tel: 0845 7654321