FAQs for the Bluestone Mortgages Solicitor Panel from members of the public
I have been advised by my broker that I have to pay Bluestone Mortgages fees if I use my own solicitor. How efficient are the Bluestone Mortgages conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use as long as they're good and not exorbitantly priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Bluestone Mortgages panel?
Bluestone Mortgages’s conveyancing panel is pretty large so it would be advisable to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Bluestone Mortgages will allow to act for them.
My wife and I are refinancing our flat with Bluestone Mortgages. We have a son 18 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Bluestone Mortgages 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, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have two concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Bluestone Mortgages conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we remortgaged 4 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right 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 Bluestone Mortgages .This is solely used to protect the Bluestone Mortgages 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 Bluestone Mortgages 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.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the Bluestone Mortgages conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 10 kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this page. 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 Bluestone Mortgages solicitor panel.
I am in the process of refinancing my property does my lawyer need to be on the Bluestone Mortgages Conveyancing panel?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on Bluestone Mortgages conveyancing panel, but Bluestone Mortgages would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.
When it comes to lenders such as Bluestone Mortgages do solicitors have to be pay a fee to be on the conveyancing panel?
We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I previously instructed online solicitors located in Birmingham who are on the Bluestone Mortgages solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £150 for the legal aspects of the Bluestone Mortgages mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Bluestone Mortgages?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Bluestone Mortgages but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Bluestone Mortgages will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Bluestone Mortgages conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Bluestone Mortgages about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get information from the solicitor’s or conveyancer’s website or ask at their office. They must tell you about it if you ask.
The Legal Ombudsman will make sure that your complaint is addressed by the solicitor. It can also advise you how to complain.
If a licensed conveyancer does not have a complaints procedure or will not tell you about it, contact the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the conveyancer. Please see below for more information.