My son-in-law is about to exchange on a newly built flat in Swindon with a mortgage from Santander. His conveyancer has advised him of a delay in receiving the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
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 Santander 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 Santander 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 told that my conveyancing solicitors will need to check that the building insurance when buying a house in Swindon. My lender is Chelsea Building Society
Chelsea Building Society have specific requirements as set out in the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. As of 27/9/2026, the requirements read as follows :
Do I select a Licenced Conveyancer or Solicitor for conveyancing in Swindon?
There are two types of lawyers who can carry out conveyancing in Swindon namely licenced conveyancers or solicitors. Both professionals administer conveyancing services that required to complete the disposal or acquisition of property. They are both duty bound to carry out Swindon conveyancing on similar quality and guidelines so you may be sure that your conveyancing will be professionally conducted and that the necessary procedures should be correctly attended to.
I happen to be the sole beneficiary of my late grandmother’s will with all property in now in my sole name, including the house in Swindon. Conveyancing formalities meant that the Land Registry date was in August. I plan to dispose of the property. I do know about the Mortgage Lenders six month 'rule', which means that my proprietorship will be considered the same way as if I'd bought the property in August. Will no one buy the property for half a year?
The CML handbook mandates solicitors to: "report to us immediately if the owner or registered proprietor has been registered for less than six months." Technically you may be caught by that. many banks would take a practical view as this clause is primarily there to identify subsales or the wholesaling and assigning of property.
My wife and I have organised a further advance on our home loan from Principality as we want to conduct a loft conversion to our house in Swindon. Do we need to choose a high street Swindon solicitor on the Principality conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Principality do not ordinarily appoint firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they do require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Principality conveyancing panel.
I've recently found out that there is a flying freehold issue on a house I put an offer in two weeks back in what was supposed to be a straight forward, no chain conveyancing. Swindon is where the house is located. Is there any guidance you can give?
Flying freeholds in Swindon are rare but are more likely to exist in relation to terraced houses. Even where you use a solicitor outside Swindon you must be sure that your lawyer goes through the deeds diligently. Your lender may require your conveyancing solicitor to take out an indemnity policy. Some of the more diligent conveyancing solicitors in Swindon may determine that this is not enough and that the deeds be re-written to give you the most up to date legal protection. If so, the next door neighbour also had to sign up to the revised deeds.It is possible that your lender will not accept the situation so the sooner you find out the better. You should also check with your insurance broker as to whether they will insure a flying freehold property.
Is it simple use your search tool to find a conveyancing practitioner in Swindon on the approved list for my bank?
First choose a bank such as Barclays , Barnsley Building Society or Platform Home Loans Ltd then specify your preferred area a common one being Swindon. Conveyancing firms in Swindon and beyond should be shown.
Last March I purchased a leasehold house in Swindon. Am I liable to pay service charges for periods before my ownership?
In a situation where the service charge has already been demanded from the previous lessee and they have not paid you would not usually be personally liable for the arrears. Strange as it may seem, your landlord may still be able to take action to forfeit the lease. It is an essential part of leasehold conveyancing for your conveyancer to be sure to have an up to date clear service charge receipt before completion of your purchase. If you have a mortgage this is likely to be a requirement of your lender.
If you purchase part way through an accounting year you may be liable for charges not yet demanded even if they relate to a period prior to your purchase. In such circumstances your conveyancer would normally arrange for the seller to set aside some money to cover their part of the period (usually called a service charge retention).
Swindon Leasehold Conveyancing - Examples of Queries before Purchasing
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Make sure you find out if there is anything that is prohibited in the lease. By way of example some leases prohibit pets being permitted in certain buildings in Swindon. If you like the propertyin Swindon yet your dog can’t make the move with you then you have a very difficult choice. You should be aware that where the lease has no more than 80 years it will impact the marketability of the apartment. Check with your lender that they are willing to lend given the lease term. Leases with less than 80 years remaining means that you will probably have to extend the lease at some point and you need to have some idea of how much this will be. For most Swindonlease extensions you will be required to have owned the premises for 24 months in order to be eligible to carry out a lease extension.