Frequently asked questions relating to the Britannia Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
I am obtaining a mortgage offer from Britannia. I hope to employ the services of a Licensed Conveyancer. Does the Britannia Conveyancing panel exclude Licensed Conveyancers
Britannia’s approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders represented by the CML or Building Society Association, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers.
Expecting to move into my new home next Friday. My conveyancing lawyer has asked me to provide him with a copy of the building insurance for the house as as he informs me that he is duty bound to validate that it is in order for Britannia. What risks do Britannia expect the insurance to cover?
Any lawyer on the Britannia conveyancing panel would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in Britannia’s Part 2 requirements of the CML Handbook (last updated on Britannia). Being on the Britannia conveyancing panel your lawyer is expect to follow these requirements.
Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the Britannia conveyancing panel solicitor to execute the legal charge? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Manchester
so that I can pop in to their offices when needed.
As opposed to ten 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 Manchester
.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the Britannia Conveyancing panel before the completion date?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. 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.
My wife and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Britannia as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Britannia conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Britannia do not ordinarily instruct firms on their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Britannia panel
I have agreed a price on a flat I spoke to a solicitor previously used by my uncle and he suggested instructing a property lawyers approved by Britannia. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Britannia if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Britannia pointed out that either firm can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Britannia 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Enquire of Britannia for conveyancing panel firms in your area. Most banks have lawyers on their panel throughout the UK. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Britannia conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto Britannia conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Britannia’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.
My offer on house has been 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 should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage app going with Britannia?
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 Britannia 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 Britannia and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
