My nephew is in the process of securing a house that has just been built in Groby and Ratby with a mortgage from UBS. 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 purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the UBS 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 UBS conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

I have been told that property searches are the number one reason for delay in Groby and Ratby house deals. Is this right?

The Council of Property Search Organisations (CoPSO) published conclusions of a review by MoveWithUs that conveyancing searches do not feature amongst the most frequent causes of hindrances during the legal transfer of property. Local searches are unlikely to feature in any holding up conveyancing in Groby and Ratby.

The deeds to our property are lost. The lawyers who did the conveyancing in Groby and Ratby 5 years ago have long since closed. What do I do?

As long as the title is registered the information relating to your ownership will be held by the Land Registry with a Title Number. It is easy to perform a search at the Land Registry, identify your property and secure up to date copies of the Registered Entries for a small fee. If the title is Leasehold then the Land Registry will in most cases retain a file copy of the Registered Lease and again, a copy can be ordered for a small fee.

I'm purchasing my first flat in Groby and Ratby with a loan from Accord Mortgages Ltd. The developers would not budge the amount so I negotiated £7000 of additionals instead. The property agent advised me not to tell my lawyer about this side-deal as it would impact my mortgage with the lender. Do I keep my lawyer in the dark?.

All lenders require a Disclosure of Incentives Form from the builder 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.

How straightforward is it to use the search app to choose a conveyancing practitioner in Groby and Ratby on the approved list for my bank?

First choose a lender such as Birmingham Midshires, Norwich and Peterborough Building Society or Barclays Direct then specify your location a common one being Groby and Ratby. Conveyancing practices in Groby and Ratby and across England and Wales should be identified.