Chelsea Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the CML and PI insurers such as AmTrust. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system optimises the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with automatic updates on Chelsea Building Society’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising the tool is not a condition for being on the Chelsea Building Society panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Chelsea Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your application to their lender panel and, more importantly, protect your panel status.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also user friendly, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Chelsea Building Society

Mortgage companies frequently change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Chelsea Building Society are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, frequently:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Chelsea Building Society has made 367 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 7.4 days. In total, 32% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Chelsea Building Society 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
6.4.4 05/09/2017 CML
Disclosing Incentives
Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) panel lawyers additional requirements concerning reporting incentives
5.14.9 06/02/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Contact details at Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) for conveyancing panel lawyers for matters relating to the lease.
16.3.2 20/07/2015 CML
Transfer of Equity
Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) details for requesting debt amount
17.1.1 01/12/2014 CML
Redemption Statements
Contact details at Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) for approved lawyers to request redemption statements .
5.5.1a 01/12/2014 CML
requirements in terms of time for planning consents
6.14.1c 01/12/2014 CML
buildings insurance total sum insured calculation
5.2.1 01/12/2014 CML
Seller not registered
Contact details at Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) for conveyancing panel lawyers for where the seller is not the owner or registered proprietor and is not listed in the exceptions in the CML Handbook P1.
6.14.1 01/12/2014 CML
Building Insurance
Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) panel lawyers additional requirements concerning building insurance
14.1.5 01/12/2014 CML
Post Completion Conveyancing
Does the Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) need to be sent the original mortgage deed and/or any other original title documents by their conveyancing panel ?
5.20.1 16/08/2013 CML
Solar Panels
Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) requirements for conveyancing panel/approved lawyers as to whether Chelsea Building Society (a trading name of Yorkshire BS) need to be notified where the lease does not meet the CML minimum requirements for leases of roof space for solar PV panels

Last update 19/05/2019

FAQs for the Chelsea Building Society Solicitor Panel from members of the public

My financial adviser has informed me that I have to pay Chelsea Building Society fees should I instruct my family lawyer. How efficient are the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel solicitors? I'm happy to use any solicitor in the country TBH as long as they're good and reasonably priced. Are there any Chelsea Building Society conveyancers you'd recommend?
Chelsea Building Society’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 Chelsea Building Society will allow to act for them.
Much to my surprise my property lawyer has informed me that he requires identification documents saying that this is part of his requirements as a solicitor on the Chelsea Building Society Solicitor panel. Is this right?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that Chelsea Building Society also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with Chelsea Building Society CML Handbook requirements last updated on Chelsea Building Society
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 20 kilometers to meet the solicitor.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. 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 Chelsea Building Society solicitor panel.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is removed from the Chelsea Building Society Conveyancing panel prior to completion?
First, 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 for a fee.
We were going to get a DIP from Chelsea Building Society this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc).Do the Chelsea Building Society recommend a solicitor on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently
You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the Chelsea Building Society through the process.
I have instructed a lawyer having checked that they are on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property? Or I've read lots of mortgage guides,I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Chelsea Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Chelsea Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Chelsea Building Society will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Chelsea Building Society you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
My offer on house has been accepted, the seller does however have a dependent purchase. 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 Chelsea Building Society?
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 Chelsea Building Society 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 Chelsea Building Society and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.