FAQs for the Fleet Mortgages Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
Is the fact that my conveyancer is not isted on the Fleet Mortgages Conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for Fleet Mortgages.
My conveyancer has identified a discrepancy between the assumptions in Fleet Mortgages’s home valuation report and what is revealed within the conveyancing documents. My solicitor informs me that as he is on the Fleet Mortgages conveyancing panel he must ensure that the lender is happy with this discrepancy and is content go ahead. Is my solicitor’s stance right?
A precondition to being on the Fleet Mortgages approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Fleet Mortgages) which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.
I am looking to buy a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Leeds who is on the Fleet Mortgages conveyancing. Can you recommend a local firm?
Our service is a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Fleet Mortgages . We don’t recommend any particular firm.
We're in London, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Fleet Mortgages , but our lawyer is on the Fleet Mortgages conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Fleet Mortgages conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain
Is it the case that all solicitor firms on the Fleet Mortgages conveyancing panel regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Fleet Mortgages conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. 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 today made my last payment due on mortgage with Fleet Mortgages. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Fleet Mortgages panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Am I right?
If you have finished paying off your Fleet Mortgages mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Fleet Mortgages mortgage from the register. Fleet Mortgages,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the Fleet Mortgages has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the Fleet Mortgages has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Fleet Mortgages mortgage has been paid off.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Fleet Mortgages 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 Fleet Mortgages 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.