Britannia Solicitor Panel Sample Enquires to our Call Center from members of the public
I am progressing with the sale of my flat and the estate agent has just texted me to warn that the purchasers are swapping law firm. The excuse is that Britannia will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only engage with specific law firms?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
I am due to complete my purchase next Thursday. 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 instructions.
Having used your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Britannia conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Britannia approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the Britannia conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the Britannia solicitor panel.
My conveyancers in Manchester have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with Britannia. Is it case that being on the Britannia conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Britannia Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Britannia directly.
Is it the case that all solicitor firms on the Britannia conveyancing panel regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Britannia conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
I have a mortgage with Britannia. My godfather retired last week and wants to pay off the mortgage left on the property. After Britannia is paid, I want to transfer the property to my mother's name; How long does the process take? Do we need two separate solicitors on the Britannia conveyancing panel? I do not intend to live at the property once the Britannia mortgage is discharged.
Although you do need to retain the services of a lawyer they dont
need to be on the Britannia panel.
You will need a solicitor to draw up the transfer and
to deal with the Land Registry formalities. The only thing you need to
consider is that by selling at an undervalue so ask your lawyer about
the implications. There could be an inheritance tax issue if you die
within 7 years of this. There's no capital gains tax for you as it is
your main residence.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Britannia 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 Britannia 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.
