Coventry Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and professional indemnity insures. It is a unique risk management tool.

This system assists the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with alerts on Coventry Building Society’s changes. Even though utilising COMPLETIONmonitor is not a prerequisite for Coventry Building Society , demonstrating you can remain up to date with Coventry Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

The software generates real-time alerts, automatically produces regulatory and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for some firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Coventry Building Society

Mortgage companies often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Coventry 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, Coventry Building Society has made 249 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 11.0 days. In total, 50% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Coventry 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
6.5.1 07/03/2019 CML
Vacant Possession on Completion
Contact details at Coventry Building Society for approved lawyers were vacant possession is not being given.
5.1.1 26/02/2019 CML
Properties owned for less than 6 months
Contact details at Coventry Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers where there is a restriction on use.
6.7.1 23/01/2019 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Coventry Building Society panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
6.7.1 18/05/2018 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Coventry Building Society approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
6.7.1 23/03/2018 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Coventry Building Society approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
6.4.4 05/07/2017 CML
Disclosing Incentives
Coventry Building Society panel lawyers additional requirements concerning reporting incentives
6.7.1 25/05/2017 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Coventry Building Society panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
14.2.2 08/05/2017 CML
Post Completion Conveyancing
Which documents should approved lawyersfor Coventry Building Society send the title deeds and documents following completion?
5.4.4 11/11/2016 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Environmental Searches
Coventry Building Society panel lawyers requirement as to whether they want receive environmental or contaminated land reports
5.14.1 07/10/2016 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Coventry Building Society approved lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : minimum unexpired lease term

Last update 18/03/2019

Frequently asked questions relating to the Coventry Building Society Solicitor Panel from members of the public

I have been advised by my broker that I have to pay Coventry Building Society fees should I instruct my family lawyer. How efficient are the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use provided that they are good and reasonably priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Coventry Building Society panel?
Coventry Building Society’s conveyancing panel is substantial so your best bet is just 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 Coventry Building Society will allow to act for them.
I am buying a new build flat and my conveyancer is telling me that she is duty bound to reveal incentives from the seller as her firm is on the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I have no desire to delay the conveyancing. Can I insist on an exchange regardless of what my lawyer says about being on the Coventry Building Society panel?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Coventry Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Coventry Building Society). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Do all the firms listed on your search have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel?
No. There is no CML Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is suspended from the Coventry Building Society Conveyancing panel before the completion date?
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 Coventry Building Society. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Coventry Building Society?
Your original mortgage agreement with Coventry Building Society will provide that you need their approval prior to renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Coventry Building Society’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Coventry Building Society 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 Coventry Building Society directly. You need not do this via a Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel firm.
Completion of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from Coventry Building Society. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about Coventry Building Society. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Most lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the Coventry Building Society branches or the Customer Care Team at Coventry Building Society head office. Ordinarily complaints to Coventry Building Society are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.
Intending to buy a flat with a mortgage with Coventry Building Society. 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 Coventry Building Society 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 Coventry Building Society conveyancing panel