Accord Mortgages Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and PI insurers. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This software optimises the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with notifications given on Accord Mortgages’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising this technology is not a condition for being on the Accord Mortgages panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Accord Mortgages’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Accord Mortgages

Lenders often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Accord Mortgages are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, over time:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Accord Mortgages has made 324 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 8.4 days. In total, 44% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Accord Mortgages have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Q and A’s regarding the Accord Mortgages Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

My husband and I are hoping to buy a 2 bedroom apartment in London with a mortgage from Accord Mortgages. We have a lawyer but Accord Mortgages says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the Accord Mortgages 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 Accord Mortgages use our lawyer?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Accord Mortgages 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 solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Accord Mortgages
Please help. My conveyancer is informing me me that he is legally obliged to apply for a Local Authority search stemming from the fact that the firm are on the Accord Mortgages approved lawyer panel. The searches cost a lot of money. Can this be avoided?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with Accord Mortgages your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Accord Mortgages’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Accord Mortgages. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
How up to date is your search tool for the Accord Mortgages conveyancing panel? Do Accord Mortgages send you an updated list?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Accord Mortgages conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Accord Mortgages directly.
We're in Birmingham, First timers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Accord Mortgages , but our lawyer is on the Accord Mortgages conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Accord Mortgages conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain
Is there a list of Accord Mortgages panel solicitors on the Council of Mortgage Lender’s Website?
No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.
The for formalities of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from Accord Mortgages. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about Accord Mortgages. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Accord Mortgages branches or the Customer Care Team at Accord Mortgages head office. We understand that complaints to Accord Mortgages are resolved very quickly. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
My offer on house has been accepted, the seller does however have a dependent purchase. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties booked. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? At what point should I appy for the mortgage with Accord Mortgages?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Accord Mortgages conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Accord Mortgages and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.