Our nephew is in the process of securing a newly built flat in Lewisham with a home loan from UBS. His conveyancer has said that there is 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 document 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 UBS conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer 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 require quick conveyancing in Lewisham as I am faced with pressure to exchange contracts in less than one month. A mortgage is not required. Is it possible to decline from having conveyancing searches to save money and time?

As you are not taking a mortgage you have the choice not to have searches conducted although no solicitor would advise that you don't. With plenty of history conveyancing in Lewisham the following are examples of issues that can appear and adversely affect future saleability: Enforcement Actions, Overdue Fees, Overdue Grants, Unadopted Roads,...

I have todaybeen informed that Stirling Law have been shut down. They carried out my conveyancing in Lewisham for a purchase of a leasehold flat 18 months ago. How can I establish that the property is in my name in the name of the previous owner?

The easiest way to check if the property is in your name, you can carry out a search of the land registry (£3.00). You can either do this yourself or ask a law firm to do this for you. If you are not registered you can seek help from one of a number of Lewisham conveyancing specialists.

I am looking for a leasehold apartment up to £235,500 and found one near me in Lewisham I like with open areas and railway links in the vicinity, however it's only got 52 years on the lease. I can't really find anything else in Lewisham suitable, so just wondered if I would be making a mistake acquiring a short lease?

If you require a mortgage the remaining unexpired lease term may be an issue. Discount the price by the anticipated lease extension will cost if it has not already been discounted. If the existing proprietor has owned the premises for a minimum of 2 years you could request that they commence the lease extension formalities and pass it to you. An additional ninety years can be extended on to the existing lease term and have £0 ground rent by law. You should speak to your conveyancing lawyer concerning this matter.

Do I stop my mortgage payments with Skipton as soon as a completion date for my sale in Lewisham has been set?

You would be well advised to keep paying any mortgage sums to Skipton until the mortgage is repaid on completion as part of your Lewisham conveyancing.