Halifax Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

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

This system assists the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with alerts on Halifax’s changes. Notwithstanding that using COMPLETIONmonitor is not a condition for being on the Halifax panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Halifax’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your application to their lender panel and, more importantly, protect your firm’s panel standing.

The software creates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will enhance 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 Halifax

Lenders often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Halifax 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, Halifax has made 365 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 7.5 days. In total, 39% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Halifax have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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FAQs : The Halifax Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

I am selling my apartment and the EA has just telephoned to warn that the buyers are switching conveyancer. The excuse is that Halifax will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named mortgage company only deal with certain solicitors?
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 decades.

Lenders 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.

I am purchasing a new build apartment and my conveyancer is telling me that she has to disclose incentives from the developer as her practice is on the Halifax conveyancing panel. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I have no desire to prolong matters. Can I insist on an exchange regardless of what my lawyer says about being on the Halifax panel?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Halifax approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Halifax). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the Halifax conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 10 miles to meet the conveyancer.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Halifax solicitor panel.
The lawyers that just started acting on my purchase in Brighton has without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I needed a solicitor on the Halifax conveyancing panel and my family lawyer was not. I gave my credit card details for them to take £175 for searches. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Halifax conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers may be able to assist
When it comes to mortgage companies such as Halifax do lawyers have to be pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.
I previously instructed online conveyancers located in London who are on the Halifax solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate fee of £135 for the legal aspects of the Halifax mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Halifax?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Halifax but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Halifax will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I am selling my house. I had a double glazing fitted in month 2010 but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Halifax are being a right pain. The solicitor who is on the Halifax conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Halifax are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Halifax have a conveyancing panel of they don’t accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Halifax have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Halifax may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing correctly and safely installed. It merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.