My son-in-law is about to exchange on a house that has just been built in North Ockendon with a mortgage from . His solicitor has advised him of 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 involved 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 surveyor 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.

I am selling our house in North Ockendon and according to the buyers it appears that there is a risk of it being built on contaminated land. Any local lawyer would know this is not the case. It does beg the question why the purchasers are using a national conveyancing firm rather than a conveyancing solicitor in North Ockendon. Having lived in North Ockendon for 4 years we know that this is a non issue. Is it a good idea to contact our local Authority to seek confirmation that there is no issue.

It would appear that you have a conveyancing solicitor currently acting for you. What do they say? You need to check with your lawyer before you do anything. It is very possible that once the local authority has been informed of a potential issue it cannot be insured against (a bit like being diagnosed with a serious illness and then taking out health insurance to cover that same sickness)

Just bought a detached house in North Ockendon , how long will it take for the Land Registry to register my ownership? My North Ockendon conveyancing solicitor has been very slow, so I want to check the registration formalities are addressed.

There is nothing unique when it comes to conveyancing in North Ockendon registration formalities. Rather than based on location, timescales can vary according to the party submitting the application, whether there are errors and if the Land registry need to notify any 3rd parties. As of today roughly 80% of such applications are fully addressed within 12 days but occasionally there can be longer hold-ups. Registration takes place after the new owner has moved in to the premises so 'speed' is not usually top priority yet if it is urgent that the the registration takes place urgently then you or your solicitor should contact the land registry and explain the circumstances.

I'm buying my first flat in North Ockendon benefiting from help to buy. The sellers would not move on the amount so I negotiated five thousand pounds worth of additionals instead. The estate agent told me not inform my solicitor about the extras as it will affect my mortgage with the lender. Is this normal?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the developer of any new build, converted or renovated property, It is available online from the Lenders’ Handbook page on the CML website. CML form is completed and handed to the lender's surveyor when the inspection is done.

Lenders have different policies on incentives. Some accept none at all, cash or physical, while others will accept cash incentives up to 5%.

Hard to understand why the representative of a builder would be suggesting you withold information from a solicitor when all this will be clearly visible on forms the builder has to supply to its solicitor, the buyer's solicitor and the surveyor.

I am on look out for some leasehold conveyancing in North Ockendon. Before I get started I require certainty as to the unexpired term of the lease.

Assuming the lease is recorded at the land registry - and 99.9% are in North Ockendon - then the leasehold title will always include the basic details of the lease, namely the date; the term; and the original parties. From a conveyancing perspective such details then enable any prospective buyer and lender to confirm that any lease they are looking at is the one relevant to that title. For any other purpose, such as confirming how long the term was granted for and calculating what is left, then the register should be sufficient on it's own.

North Ockendon Leasehold Conveyancing - Sample of Queries Prior to buying

Can you inform me if there are any major works anticipated that will increase the service costs? The best form of lease arrangement is a share of the freehold. In this arrangement the tenants have being in charge if their destiny and notwithstanding that a managing agent is often employed where the building is larger than a house conversion, the managing agent retained by the leaseholders. Are any of leasehold owners in arrears of their service charge payments?