My god-son is in the process of securing a house that has just been built in Abbey Wood with a mortgage from . His lawyer has said that there is a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. This document is news to me - what is it and who needs sight of it?

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested. The developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it. The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

We note that you have a search directory identifying firms on the conveyancing panel. Do companies pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for our own conveyancing in Abbey Wood?

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint for your conveyancing in Abbey Wood.

Should my conveyancer be raising enquiries concerning flooding as part of the conveyancing in Abbey Wood.

The risk of flooding is if increasing concern for conveyancers dealing with homes in Abbey Wood. There are those who buy a property in Abbey Wood, fully aware that at some time, it may suffer from flooding. However, aside from the physical destruction, where a house is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to get a mortgage, suitable building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken as part of the conveyancing process to forewarn the buyer.

Solicitors are not best placed to impart advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that can be undertaken by the purchaser or by their solicitors which will give them a better understanding of the risks in Abbey Wood. The conventional set of completed inquiry forms supplied to a buyer’s lawyer (where the solicitors are adopting what is known as the Conveyancing Protocol) includes a usual inquiry of the vendor to discover if the premises has historically flooded. In the event that the property has been flooded in past which is not disclosed by the owner, then a buyer could bring a claim for damages as a result of such an misleading reply. The purchaser’s solicitors should also commission an environmental report. This should disclose if there is a recorded flood risk. If so, more detailed inquiries should be conducted.

I used Wolstenholmes a few years ago for my conveyancing in Abbey Wood. Now, I need my files however cannot find the solicitor. What do I do?

You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to assist in tracing your conveyancing files. They can be contacted on please contact on 0870 606 2555. Alternatively, you should use their online form to make an enquiry. You will need to provide the SRA with as much information as possible to assist their search, including the name and address in Abbey Wood of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously retained, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.

How do I find a Abbey Wood conveyancing solicitor on the lender conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 15kilometers to attend the conveyancer.

You can use the find a conveyancing panel tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location, in this case Abbey Wood and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest Abbey Wood. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the mortgage company solicitor panel.