Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

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

This software is the only way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with notifications given on Ecology Building Society’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising COMPLETIONmonitor is not a condition for acceptance on the Ecology Building Society panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Ecology Building Society’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your application to their lender panel and, just as importantly, safeguard your panel status.

The software creates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. In addition it is user friendly, cost-effective and, for some firms, leads to reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Ecology Building Society

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

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Ecology Building Society has made 175 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 15.6 days. In total, 42% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Ecology Building Society have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
5.5.1a 01/12/2014 CML
requirements in terms of time for planning consents
6.14.1b 01/12/2014 CML
buildings insurance in joint names or lender interest noted
6.14.2 01/12/2014 CML
requirement that all insurance risks are included
5.20.3 01/12/2014 CML
Panels PV Solar
Existence of additional requirements set by Ecology Building Society for approved lawyers relating to leases of roof space for solar PV panels, and if so, what they are.
17.2.1a 01/12/2010 CML
Redemption Payments
Where do solicitors and conveyancers send the discharge and repayment remittance in relation to Ecology Building Society mortgages ?
5.19.1 01/12/2010 CML
Shared Ownership and Shared Equity
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers for lending on affordable housing, shared equity and shared ownership and where relevant Ecology Building Society requirements.
5.1.1 01/12/2010 CML
Properties owned for less than 6 months
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for approved lawyers where there is a restriction on use.
6.1.3 01/12/2010 CML
Mortgage offer not taken up
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for approved lawyers where for reporting purposes if borrower is not taking up the mortgage offer
6.5.1 01/12/2010 CML
Vacant Possession on Completion
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers were vacant possession is not being given.
6.8.1 01/12/2010 CML
Roads and Sewers
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers if no agreement and bond for an unadopted road or sewer
Adoption of Road or Sewer Indemnity Insurance

Last update 15/07/2019

Ecology Building Society Solicitor Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public

I am selling my maisonette and the EA has just texted me to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. The reason given is that Ecology Building Society will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. Why would a leading mortgage company only deal with certain lawyers?
Mortgage companies have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 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.

can you help? My solicitor is informing me me that he has to conduct a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Ecology Building Society solicitor panel. Is my lawyer correct?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with Ecology Building Society your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Ecology Building Society’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Ecology Building Society. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I require the services of a Ecology Building Society panel solicitor in Belfast. Could you help me?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Ecology Building Society panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Ecology Building Society to find out which solicitors in Ecology Building Society are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site
I am selling my house. Does my solicitor have to be on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
Is there a list of Ecology Building Society panel solicitors on the CML Handbook Website?
No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.
We have agreed to purchase a house.One unusual aspect is that the roof has a solar panel. Ecology Building Society have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
As your lender is Ecology Building Society your lawyer must to check the Ecology Building Society conveyancing instructions contained in the Part of CML Handbook for Ecology Building Society . The CML Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Ecology Building Society where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. The CML are developing guidance for Northern Ireland and Scotland.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 175. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Ecology Building Society 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 Ecology Building Society 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.