FAQs : The Dudley Building Society Solicitor Panel from members of the public
I instructed a solicitor to conduct the legal paperwork on my house purchase three weeks ago having applied for a mortgage with Dudley Building Society. The law firm confirmed to me that they are on Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel and advised me their panel number. Dudley Building Society then told me that their panel number was dormant and would need to be reactivated. What do I do from here? Should I appoint a new solicitor currently on the conveyancing panel for Dudley Building Society?
You may be very frustrated with the lawyer but if it only go take a few more days they it may be worth waiting as, depending on how far progressed you are you may end up delaying the transaction by a number of weeks if you need to replace your solicitor You may wish to enlist the help of your broker to check with the Dudley Building Society as to the time frame to get your lawyer reinstated on the panel once again.
Can you help?. My lawyer is not to blame but, my purchase conveyancing has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Dudley Building Society was date stamped random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6. My lawyer says that as she is on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer valid.
A precondition to being on the Dudley Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Dudley Building Society)which specifies that a local authority search be not more than half a year old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Dudley Building Society.
I have been Googling for competitive conveyancing fees. Can I be sure that all the practices that are identified on your site are on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices listed on our site have advised us that they are on the Dudley Building Society panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Dudley Building Society panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel is incorrect.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Dudley Building Society Solicitor panel before 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.
Are all Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their panels.
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Dudley Building Society about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. Every solicitor firm and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get information from the solicitor’s or conveyancer’s website or ask at their office. They must tell you about it if you ask.
The Legal Ombudsman will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the solicitor. It can also advise you how to complain.
If a licensed conveyancer does not have a complaints procedure or will not tell you about it, contact the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the conveyancer. Please see below for more information.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Dudley Building Society mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Dudley Building Society mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Dudley Building Society mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Dudley Building Society in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.
