Common questions asked concerning the Ahli United Bank Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
My wife and I are first time buyers. Within the last couple of days our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Ahli United Bank have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser's solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender.
In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyers should contact Ahli United Bank and see if they can apply for membership of the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Ahli United Bank will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you have another set of people involved.
Expecting to complete my purchase next Friday. I have now been asked to send a copy of my building insurance schedule by my solicitor as as he informs me that he is duty bound to validate that it is in order for Ahli United Bank. What does the insurance need to cover?
Any lawyer on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in Ahli United Bank’s Part 2 requirements of the CML Handbook (last updated on Ahli United Bank). Being on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel your lawyer is expect to follow these instructions.
Are there any apps to help search for a local solicitor on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 25 kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Ahli United Bank solicitor panel.
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
My wife and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Ahli United Bank as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Ahli United Bank do not ordinarily appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Ahli United Bank panel
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Ahli United Bank. Solicitors have been instructed? What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Ahli United Bank?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Ahli United Bank conducted the valuation? Have you advised Ahli United Bank as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel? sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued
I'm at the point of looking at houses and am about to put in an offer. Should I already have a conveyancer appointed at this stage? I I am planning to take a home loan with Ahli United Bank
It would be sensible to have your start your search soon rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Ahli United Bank , make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel.