Q and A’s regarding the Banks and Clients Solicitor Panel from members of the public
I have been advised by my broker that I have to pay Banks and Clients fees if I use my own solicitor. How good are the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel solicitors? I'm happy to use any solicitor in the country TBH provided that they are good and reasonably priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Banks and Clients panel?
Banks and Clients’s conveyancing panel is pretty large so it would be advisable to check with the firms you are getting quotes from that they are on the panel. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Banks and Clients will allow to act for them.
My partner and I are refinancing our penthouse with Banks and Clients. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. The solicitor on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the flat is repossessed. I have two concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we remortgaged 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Banks and Clients .This is solely used to protect the Banks and Clients if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.
It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Banks and Clients had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I was under the impression that this was a precondition of being on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
I am trying to get my ex-husband removed the mortgage deeds. Can Banks and Clients really insist on which solicitor I can or can not use?
You can use any solicitor you like but Banks and Clients 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 Banks and Clients solicitors panel
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Banks and Clients. Solicitors have been appointed? How long does it take for Banks and Clients to send the offer to our conveyancer
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Banks and Clients conducted the valuation? Have you advised Banks and Clients as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel? sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued
My ex -wife’s name is on the Banks and Clients 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 Banks and Clients mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Banks and Clients 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 Banks and Clients 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.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment accepted, but there is a chain. 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? When should I get the mortgage app going with Banks and Clients?
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 Banks and Clients 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 Banks and Clients and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.