Our son-in-law is buying a new build apartment in Erith with a mortgage from Co-operative. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in completing 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 purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Co-operative conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked. 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 Co-operative conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

When it comes to lenders such as Bank of Ireland, do Erith property lawyers incur a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?

We are unaware of any bank fees to be on their list of approved firms, although some do charge an administration fee to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel submission.

I am due to exchange contracts on my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in March 2007, but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's mortgage company, Bank of Ireland are being problematic. The Erith solicitor who is on the Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Bank of Ireland are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Bank of Ireland have a conveyancing panel if they don't accept advice from them?

It is probably the case that Bank of Ireland have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Bank of Ireland may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing was correctly and safely installed. The indemnity insurance merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.

I have finally had an offer on a flat in Erith agreed to, but there is a chain. The sellers have put an offer on a property, however it’s not yet tied up, and are looking at other apartments booked. I have selected a nearby conveyancing solicitor in Erith. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage application with Skipton going?

It is normal to have anxieties where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket prematurely (home loan application is in the region of £1k, then valuation, Erith conveyancing search costs, etc). The first thing to do is check that your conveyancing practitioner is on the Skipton approved list. As to the next stages this very much dictated by the circumstances of your transaction, desire for the property and on the state of the market. In a rising market the majority of home buyers will apply for the mortgage with Skipton and arrange for the valuation and only if it was satisfactory would they pay their property lawyer to move forward with searches.

Should I be concerned that estate agents that I am dealing with are encouraging me to use a national conveyancing firm rather than a local Erith conveyancing firm?

As is the case with many service providers, often referrals from family and friends can be worth their weight in gold. But there are numerous people with a vested interest in a conveyancing deal; estate agents, mortgage brokers and banks might all recommend solicitors to retain. On occasion the solicitors might be known to one of the organisations as experts in their field, but occasionally there is an underlying commercial relationship behind the endorsement. You are at liberty to appoint your own lawyer. You need to be aware that most banks operate an approved list of solicitors you must use for the mortgage aspect of your conveyancing.

My husband and I are first time buyers - had an offer accepted, but the property agent told us that the vendor will only issue a contract if we appoint their chosen conveyancers as they want an ‘expedited deal’. We would rather use a local solicitor accustomed to conveyancing in Erith

We suspect that the owner is unaware of this request. If they desire ‘a quick sale', turning down a motivated purchaser is likely to cause more damage than good. Bypass the agents and go straight to the sellers and make the point that (a)you are motivated purchasers (b)you are excited to move forward, with mortgage lined up © you are unencumbered (d) you wish to move quickly (e)but you will continue to use your preferred Erith conveyancing solicitors - not the ones that will give their negotiator at the agency a referral fee or hit his conveyancing targets pre-set by senior management.

My husband and I are hoping to buy a four bedroom maisonettein Erith with a residential mortgage from a mortgage company. We would like to retain our lawyer in Erith yet our mortgage company says he's not listed on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct from the our lender panel solicitors or keep our Erith conveyancer and incur the extra fees for one of their panel ones to represent our bank. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?

Unfortunately,no. The mortgage company home loan offered to you is subject to conditions, one of which will be that solicitors will on the bank's conveyancing panel. in the past, most lenders had open panels, including most conveyancing solicitors in Erith : a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for your lender.