Bank of Scotland Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and PI insurers. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system facilitates the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with automatic updates on Bank of Scotland’s changes. While using this technology is not a condition for acceptance on the Bank of Scotland panel, demonstrating you can remain up to date with Bank of Scotland’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your application to their lender panel and, just as importantly, protect your panel standing.

The system generates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Bank of Scotland

Lenders often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Bank of Scotland are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, frequently:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Bank of Scotland has made 353 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 7.7 days. In total, 48% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Bank of Scotland have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.4.4 31/08/2018 CML
Disclosing Incentives
Bank of Scotland panel lawyers additional requirements concerning reporting incentives
17.2.1a 15/03/2018 CML
Redemption Payments
Where do solicitors and conveyancers send the discharge and repayment remittance in relation to Bank of Scotland mortgages ?
16.5.3b 16/01/2018 CML
Deed of Rectification
Where do solicitors and conveyancers send the deed of rectification in relation to Bank of Scotland mortgages ?
6.7.1 10/07/2017 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Bank of Scotland panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
6.7.1 19/05/2017 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Bank of Scotland panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
6.7.1 21/11/2016 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Bank of Scotland approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
10.2a 23/05/2016 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
Do Bank of Scotland send the mortgage advance electronically or by cheque?
10.2b 23/05/2016 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
What is the minimum number of days notice Bank of Scotland require ahead of sending the mortgage advance?
7.4 23/05/2016 CML
Occupiers at the Property
Contact details at Bank of Scotland for approved conveyancers if doubts about accuracy of information concerning occupation of the property
10.2b 09/05/2016 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
What is the minimum number of days notice Bank of Scotland require ahead of sending the mortgage advance?

Last update 21/01/2020

Bank of Scotland Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers from members of the public

My husband and I are buying a 1 bedroom apartment in Leeds with a mortgage from Bank of Scotland. We have a solicitor but Bank of Scotland says he's not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the Bank of Scotland panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that Bank of Scotland use our lawyer?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Bank of Scotland
Our property lawyer is asking me for personal identification documents stating that this forms part of his obligations as a solicitor on the Bank of Scotland Solicitor panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?
Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offense if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage with Bank of Scotland your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy Bank of Scotland
Having used your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Bank of Scotland approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the Bank of Scotland solicitor panel.
My solicitors in Newcastle have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with Bank of Scotland. Is it case that being on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Bank of Scotland Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Bank of Scotland directly.
Is it the case that all conveyancing solicitors on the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel work on a no move no charge basis?
There is generally no requirements by lenders for their firms to operate on a no-sale-no-fee basis. There a small number of lenders who operate a very restricted conveyancing panel managed by a third party company (often termed in the industry as a ‘gatekeeper’). That third party may impose certain conditions such as non-sale-no fee on the panel firms. If you require this as a condition of your conveyancing then you should check with the conveyancing firm that this is part of their service
I had instructed online solicitors located in Manchester who are on the Bank of Scotland solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £195 for dealing with the Bank of Scotland mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Bank of Scotland?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Bank of Scotland but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Bank of Scotland will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
Do the majority of lenders operate their own panel of solicitors?
Many lenders do operate a restricted conveyancing panel but a lot of lenders allow any solicitors to join their panel so long as they meet their criteria. Each lender sets their own criteria. For example the Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel requirements are different to Bank of Scotland’s conveyancing panel criteria.