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RBS- First Active Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Looking for information about your firm's panel status?

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How can my firm apply to be on the RBS- First Active Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status
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How can my firm be reinstated onto the RBS- First Active Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. It is supported by professional indemnity insurers. It is a unique risk management tool.

This system assists the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on RBS- First Active’s changes. Even though utilising the tool is not a prerequisite for RBS- First Active , demonstrating you can stay up to date with RBS- First Active’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your application to their lender panel and, more importantly, safeguard your panel status.

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

Find a Law Firm approved by RBS- First Active

Lenders frequently change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from RBS- First Active 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, RBS- First Active has made 223 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the UK Finance Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 12.2 days. In total, 53% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for RBS- First Active have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,
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RBS- First Active Conveyancing Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public

The lawyer I wanted to use for conveyancing on a purchase said he will levy higher legal fees if my lender is due to their unusual legal requirements. Will I regret using RBS- First Active? Is RBS- First Active conveyancing so much more difficult?
RBS- First Active conveyancing requirements for their panel are no better or no more complicated than most lenders. It is the case now the CML Handbook, the "bible" used by solicitors to establish lender requirements, is different for each lender. It is not clear if your lawyer is on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel. If they are not, this does add further risk of delay as RBS- First Active will appoint their own solicitors to look after their interest.
We are due to exchange on the purchase a house but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have agreed compensation from the seller of £3k approx by way of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process but my mortgage company RBS- First Active will not agree to this. Why was RBS- First Active even consulted?
Your lawyer being on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform RBS- First Active of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyers to disclose the reduction to RBS- First Active then they would have to discontinue acting for you and RBS- First Active.
I have been searching for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be sure that all the law firms that are identified on your site are on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel?
The law firms on our directory have advised us that they are on the RBS- First Active panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the RBS- First Active panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel is not accurate.
I am trying to get my ex-husband removed the mortgage deeds. Can RBS- First Active really tell me which solicitor I can or can not retain?
You can use any solicitor you like but RBS- First Active then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the RBS- First Active solicitors panel
Do the majority of banks operate their own panel of solicitors?
Many lenders do operate a restricted conveyancing panel but a lot of lenders allow any solicitors to join their panel so long as they meet their criteria. Each lender sets their own criteria. For example the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel requirements are different to RBS- First Active’s conveyancing panel requirements.
We expect to receive a DIP from RBS- First Active this week so we know how much we could potentially offer as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc).Do the RBS- First Active recommend a solicitor on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer
You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the RBS- First Active through the process.
My offer on house has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? At what point should I appy for the mortgage with RBS- First Active?
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 RBS- First Active 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 RBS- First Active and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.

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