Frequently asked questions relating to the ASTRA mortgages Solicitor Panel from members of the public
My property lawyer is not on the ASTRA mortgages Solicitor Panel. Is it possible for me to retain my preferred solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the ASTRA mortgages panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
You have a number of options available to you here:
- Complete the purchase with your preferred solicitors but ASTRA mortgages will need to instruct a lawyer on the ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel. This will result in additional cost and potential delay.
- Get a new solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel.
- Urge your lawyer to apply to join the ASTRA mortgages lender panel
Can you help?. For no fault of my lawyer but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from ASTRA mortgages was dated random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on Tues etc. My lawyer says that as she is on the ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer valid.
One of the many conditions to being on the ASTRA mortgages approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on ASTRA mortgages)which specifies that a local authority search be not more than 6 months old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to ASTRA mortgages.
I have been Googling for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be assured that all the practices that are identified on your website are on the ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel?
The law firms on our directory have assured us via an online form that they are on the ASTRA mortgages panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the ASTRA mortgages panel. To date we have not been informed by either a mortgage company or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel is incorrect.
I am trying to get my former partner removed the mortgage deeds. Can ASTRA mortgages really insist on which solicitor I can or can not use?
You can use any solicitor you like but ASTRA mortgages then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the ASTRA mortgages solicitors panel
Do conveyancing solicitors on the ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel work on a no move no charge basis?
In the main there are 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 package
Do most banks 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 ASTRA mortgages conveyancing panel requirements are different to ASTRA mortgages’s conveyancing panel criteria.
My ex -wife’s name is on the ASTRA mortgages mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the ASTRA mortgages mortgage in order to sell?
In terms of the ASTRA mortgages mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of ASTRA mortgages in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.
