Birmingham Midshires Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and PI insurers. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system facilitates the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on Birmingham Midshires’s changes. While utilising the software is not a prerequisite for Birmingham Midshires , demonstrating you can remain up to date with Birmingham Midshires’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel standing.

The system generates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, results in a PII saving.

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Lenders frequently vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Birmingham Midshires are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, over time:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Birmingham Midshires has made 311 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 8.8 days. In total, 45% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Birmingham Midshires have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
17.1.1 29/08/2018 CML
Redemption Statements
Contact details at Birmingham Midshires for conveyancing panel lawyers to request redemption statements .
10.10 28/04/2017 CML
holding the mortgage advance
10.11 28/04/2017 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
What interest does the Birmingham Midshires charge if return of the mortgage advance is delayed?
6.6.1 28/04/2017 CML
Buy to Let Conveyancing
Contact details at Birmingham Midshires for approved lawyers were the subject property is let/to be let and to check Birmingham Midshires lend on buy-to-let.
17.2.1b 18/04/2017 CML
Evidence of Discharge of Mortgage
Do Birmingham Midshires send the discharge via a DS 1 form or direct with the Land Registry?
6.7.6 18/04/2017 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Birmingham Midshires approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : do Birmingham Midshires need to be sent the professional consultant's certificate
8.1 18/04/2017 CML
Circumstances Requiring Independent Legal Advice
Birmingham Midshires approved conveyancer requirements re circumstances requiring independent legal advice : Do Birmingham Midshires allow a firm to advise any of the specified third parties
5.14.15b 13/04/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Birmingham Midshires approved lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : acceptability of indemnity insurance where the terms of the lease are unsatisfactory
Absentee Landlord Indemnity Insurance
5.7.1a 13/04/2017 CML
Flying Freeholds
Birmingham Midshires panel lawyers clarification as to whether they lend on flying freeholds
Flying Freehold Indemnity Insurance
5.9.1 13/04/2017 CML
Commonhold
Birmingham Midshires panel lawyers clarification as to whether they lend where the title is commonhold

Last update 05/11/2018

FAQs : The Birmingham Midshires Solicitor Panel from members of the public

I was advised recently by my financial adviser that my solicitor is not on the Birmingham Midshires Solicitor panel. How can I be certain that this is indeed the case?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your conveyancer. You lawyer should advise you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a firm that is on the conveyancing panel for Birmingham Midshires.
My conveyancer has discovered a difference when comparing the surveyor’s assumptions in Birmingham Midshires’s home valuation report and what is in the title deeds. My solicitor has advised that as he is on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel he needs to check that the bank is OK with this discrepancy and is content go ahead. Is my solicitor’s approach appropriate?
A precondition to being on the Birmingham Midshires approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Birmingham Midshires) which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.
Do I have to visit the offices of the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Newcastle so that I can attend their offices if required.
As opposed to twenty years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Newcastle .
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my solicitor is expelled from the Birmingham Midshires Solicitor panel prior to the moving date as agreed at exchange of contracts?
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 have a mortgage with Birmingham Midshires. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Birmingham Midshires?
Birmingham Midshires must be informed of your intention in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Birmingham Midshires’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Birmingham Midshires will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Birmingham Midshires directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel firm.
Intending to buy a house with a mortgage with Birmingham Midshires. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Birmingham Midshires 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 Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel
My offer was accepted on an apartment on the 12th January 2014, valuation was booked 2 days later, all came back fine. Conveyancer appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Birmingham Midshires and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Birmingham Midshires to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Birmingham Midshires conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.