Our son is in the process of securing a new build apartment in Great Baddow with a home loan from Lloyds. His conveyancer has said that there is a delay in receiving 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 engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Lloyds 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 Lloyds conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

After looking at online forums for an affordable lawyer in Great Baddow, many advise that I must use a CQS accredited solicitor. Can you explain what CQS is?

Great Baddow Conveyancing Quality Scheme law firms have obtained certification under the Law Society's Scheme (CQS) The Law Society established CQS to promote high standards in the in the legal transfer of properties. CQS helps house movers to identify solicitor firms who provide a quality residential conveyancing. Great Baddow is one of locations in England and Wales in which CQS are located. The scheme requires practices to undergo a strict assessment, compulsory training, self-reporting, random audits and yearly assessments in order to maintain CQS status. It is available to solicitors and not licensed conveyancers and has the support of the Association of British Insurers.

A colleague advised me that if I am buying in Great Baddow I should ask my conveyancer to carry out a Neighbourhood, Planning and Local Amenity Search. What does it cover?

A search of this type is occasionally included in the estimate for your Great Baddow conveyancing searches. It is a large report of about 40 pages, listing and detailing significant information about Great Baddow around the property and the people living there. It includes an Aerial Photograph, Planning Applications, Land Use, Mobile Phone Masts, Rights of Way, the Great Baddow Housing Market, Council Tax Banding, the demographics of People living in the area, the dominant type of Housing, the Average House Prices, Crime statistics, Local Education with maps and statistics, Local Amenities and other useful data about Great Baddow.

I used Arc property Solicitors several years past for my conveyancing in Great Baddow. I now require my papers however the law firm is no longer operating. What do I do?

Do 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 Great Baddow 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.

I am buying a new build apartment in Great Baddow. Conveyancing is daunting at the best of times but I have never purchased a new build flat before. What sort of enquires would be asked in new build conveyancing.

Set out below is a sample of a selection of leasehold new build enquiries that you should expect your new-build leasehold conveyancing in Great Baddow

Please confirm the Lease plans are surveyor prepared. There must be mutual enforceability of lessee’s covenants. Investor purchasers must be able to freely grant unsecured tenancies at market rents without requiring any consents. If there are lifts in the building, please confirm that the owners of flats on the ground and basement floors will not be required to contribute towards the cost of maintenance and renewal. The Landlord must covenant to assume the management if the Management Company goes into liquidation or otherwise defaults in running the management scheme.