Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

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

This software facilitates the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with automatic updates on Ecology Building Society’s changes. While utilising this technology is not a prerequisite for Ecology Building Society , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Ecology Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your application to their lender panel and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

The software creates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will enhance your firm's efficiency. In addition it is simply to use, cost-effective and, for many 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.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
3.1.5 01/12/2014 CML
ID Documentation
Ecology Building Society panel lawyers requirements re ID Documentation: Further acceptable documents (if any)
16.3.7a 01/12/2010 CML
Transfer of Equity
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for approved lawyers for obtaining execution of transfer equity
16.5.2 01/12/2010 CML
Deed of Variation
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for approved lawyers for confirming proposed deed of variation or agreement will not adversely affect Ecology Building Society
3.2.4 01/12/2010 CML
Sellers not having Legal Representation
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to used where Ecology Building Society needs to be notified when the seller does not have legal representation.
5.1.1 01/12/2010 CML
Properties owned for less than 6 months
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers where there is a restriction on use.
5.5.1a 01/12/2010 CML
requirements in terms of time for planning consents
6.11.1 01/12/2010 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Redevelopments and Road Proposals
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to used where Ecology Building Society needs to be notified where property is affected by redevelopment or road proposals.
Obstruction of Access Indemnity Insurance
6.12.1 01/12/2010 CML
Pre-emption Rights, Options and Pre-emption Rights
Contact details at Ecology Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to used where Ecology Building Society needs to be notified where property is affected by pre-emption rights, resale restrictions, options etc .
6.7.1 01/12/2010 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Ecology Building Society panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
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 11/01/2020

Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers from members of the public

My Solicitor is not on the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel. Can I still retain my family solicitor even though they are not on the Ecology Building Society approved list?
You will need to have a conveyancer complete the legal work required when you take out a Ecology Building Society mortgage to buy your property. They’ll carry out all the necessary legal checks on the property, make sure that you’re properly registered as the owner and ensure that all the necessary mortgage documentation is in place. You can instruct a conveyancing firm of your choice. However, if the firm selected is not a member of the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel additional costs will be incurred as separate legal representation will be required by Ecology Building Society. Conveyancing panel applications can be submitted, so if your conveyancer has not previously applied for membership they can do so.
can you help? My lawyer is advising me that she is duty-bound to order a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Ecology Building Society solicitor panel. Is this really necessary?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan 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.
Do lenders provide you with an approved list of solicitors? How do you know who is on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel?
The firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Ecology Building Society directly.
I am remortgaging my home does my lawyer have to be on the Ecology Building Society Solicitor panel?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor but Ecology Building Society will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
is it true that all solicitor firms on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. 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 not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
There is little point in complaining directly to Ecology Building Society. All solicitors 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 addressed 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.

After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 225. 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.