FAQs : The Atom Bank Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
The solicitor my fiance and I wanted to use for conveyancing on a purchase said he would charge more if my mortgage is with Atom Bank because of their difficult processes! Am I likely to be frustrated using Atom Bank? Is Atom Bank conveyancing so much more difficult?
Atom Bank conveyancing requirements for their panel are no better or no more complicated than most lenders.
It is the case now the CML Handbook, the "bible" used by solicitors to establish lender requirements, is different for each lender.
It is not clear if your lawyer is on the Atom Bank conveyancing panel. If they are not, this does add further risk of delay as Atom Bank will appoint their own solicitors to look after their interest.
We are due to exchange on the purchase a house but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have agreed compensation from the seller of £3k approx by way of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process but my mortgage company Atom Bank will not agree to this. Why was Atom Bank even consulted?
Your lawyer being on the Atom Bank conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Atom Bank of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyers to disclose the reduction to Atom Bank then they would have to discontinue acting for you and Atom Bank.
I need to find a Atom Bank panel solicitor in Inverness. Can you assist?
It is not clear why you need a Atom Bank panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Atom Bank to find out which solicitors in Atom Bank are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. After all the cost is only one £1 a month
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Atom Bank Solicitor panel prior to completion?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Atom Bank conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Atom Bank panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
Intending to buy a flat with a mortgage with Atom Bank. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Atom Bank conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the Atom Bank conveyancing panel
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 in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage app going with Atom Bank?
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 Atom Bank 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 Atom Bank and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
