My son-in-law is about to exchange on a house that has just been built in Battle with a home loan from Bank of Ireland. His solicitor has advised him of a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The document is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Bank of Ireland 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 Bank of Ireland conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
My wife and I purchasing a victorian detached house in Battle. Our aim is to carry out a loft conversion at the property.Will the conveyancing process include investigations to ascertain if these alterations are allowed?
Your solicitor will review the deeds as conveyancing in Battle will on occasion reveal restrictions in the title deeds which prevent categories of alterations or require the permission of another owner. Certain works call for local authority planning consent and approval in accordance building regulations. Certain areas are designated conservation areas and special planning restrictions apply which frequently prevent or impact extensions. It would be wise to check these things with a surveyor prior to committing yourself to a purchase.
is it true that all Battle solicitors on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel are governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Leeds Building Society approved list of solicitors they would need to be governed by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Some lenders do list licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such practice would be overseen by the CLC.
I had an offer accepted on a house in Battle on 16/9/2026, valuation was booked 2 days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Coventry BS and chasing them on my offer, I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. Are Coventry BS entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Coventry BS to deal with your lawyer's application to be on the Coventry BS conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitor will be accepted.
Will my lawyer be raising enquiries about flooding during the conveyancing in Battle.
Flooding is a growing risk for lawyers carrying out conveyancing in Battle. Some people will purchase a property in Battle, completely aware that at some time, it may be flooded. However, aside from the physical destruction, if a property is at risk of flooding, it may be difficult to obtain a mortgage, satisfactory building insurance, or sell the property. There are steps that can be taken during the course of a property purchase to forewarn the purchaser.
Lawyers are not best placed to offer advice on flood risk, however there are a various checks that can be undertaken by the buyer or by their lawyers which can figure out the risks in Battle. The conventional set of information supplied to a purchaser’s conveyancer (where the Conveyancing Protocol is adopted) incorporates a standard question of the vendor to discover if the premises has ever been flooded. If flooding has previously occurred which is not revealed by the owner, then a buyer could bring a legal claim for losses resulting from an misleading response. A purchaser’s conveyancers may also conduct an enviro search. This will disclose if there is any known flood risk. If so, additional investigations will need to be conducted.
I used Stirling Law a few years past for my conveyancing in Battle. Now, I need my files but the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?
You should call the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) to help locate 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 Battle of the conveyancing firm of solicitors you previously hired, the name of conveyancing solicitor with whom you had dealings, and the date on which you last had dealings with the firm.
How does conveyancing in Battle differ for newly converted properties?
Most buyers of new build property in Battle come to us having been asked by the developer to exchange contracts and commit to the purchase even before the residence is completed. This is because house builders in Battle tend to acquire the real estate, plan the estate and want to get the plots sold off as they are building the properties. Buyers, therefore, will have to exchange contracts without actually seeing the house they are buying. To reduce the chances of losing the property, buyers should instruct property lawyers as soon as the property is reserved and mortgage applications should be submitted quickly. Due to the fact that it could be several months and even years between exchange of contracts and completion, the mortgage offer may need to be extended. It would be wise to use a lawyer who specialises in new build conveyancing especially if they are used to new build conveyancing in Battle or who has acted in the same development.
We are one month into a residential purchase having been referred to solicitors by the local agent to perform conveyancing in Battle. I am am extremely dissatisfied with the quality of service. Can you you assist me in finding new solicitors?
They would have to be really bad to suggest replacing them. Has the mortgage offer been generated? If so you need to make them aware of the replacement lawyer and ensure the loan are re-sent. The solicitor ideally needs to be on the banks panel to avoid escalating expenses and complications. That should be your starting point. The search tool should assist you in finding a lender approved conveyancer for your conveyancing in Battle