Harpenden Building Society 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 PI insurers such as AmTrust. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This software assists the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on Harpenden Building Society’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising the software is not a prerequisite for Harpenden Building Society , demonstrating you can remain up to date with Harpenden Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your panel standing.

The software creates real-time alerts, automatically produces regulatory and CQS reports, and will enhance your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for some firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Harpenden Building Society

Banks and building societies frequently vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Harpenden 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, Harpenden Building Society has made 148 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 18.4 days. In total, 63% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Harpenden Building Society have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.14.1a 01/12/2014 CML
contact point if property is not insured in accordance with lender requirement
6.14.3 01/12/2014 CML
notification of non-renewal/cancellation for buildings insurance policy
5.4.5 01/12/2014 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Personal Searches
Harpenden Building Society panel lawyers clarification as to whether they accept personal searches and, if yes, the Harpenden Building Society requirements
Local Search Indemnity Insurance
6.14.1 01/12/2014 CML
Building Insurance
Harpenden Building Society panel lawyers additional requirements concerning building insurance
5.8.5 18/08/2014 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing : Freehold Reversion
Harpenden Building Society approved lawyers clarification as to whether they accept security which comprises one of two leasehold flats in a building where the borrower also owns the freehold reversion of the other flat and the other leaseholder owns the freehold reversion in the borrower's flat? If so, are there any specific requirements??
17.2.1b 01/12/2010 CML
Evidence of Discharge of Mortgage
Do Harpenden Building Society send the discharge via a DS 1 form or direct with the Land Registry?
5.5.4 01/12/2010 CML
Planning Permission and Building Regulations : Restrictions
Contact details at Harpenden Building Society for approved lawyers where the property is subject to restrictions which may affect its value or marketability
Restrictive Covenant Indemnity Insurance
6.11.1 01/12/2010 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Redevelopments and Road Proposals
Contact details at Harpenden Building Society for approved lawyers to used where Harpenden Building Society needs to be notified where property is affected by redevelopment or road proposals.
Obstruction of Access Indemnity Insurance
6.7.2 01/12/2010 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Harpenden Building Society approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : whether home warranty documentation should be sent to Harpenden Building Society
7.4 01/12/2010 CML
Occupiers at the Property
Contact details at Harpenden Building Society for approved conveyancers if doubts about accuracy of information concerning occupation of the property

Last update 11/01/2019

FAQs for the Harpenden Building Society Solicitor Panel from members of the public

Can you please explain the reason why all property lawyers are not on the Harpenden Building Society Solicitor panel?
As unjust as it may seem for Harpenden Building Society to restrict who can act for them from the public’s or solicitor’s point of view, the other side of the coin is that the lenders are becoming ever more anxious and feel the necessary need to protect them from mortgage fraud and other illegal activities. As a result of this concern Harpenden Building Society have restricted their conveyancing panel to a size that they are happy to control. The Harpenden Building Society solicitor panel is not the most restricted
Can you help?. For no fault of my lawyer but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Harpenden Building Society was date stamped random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6. My lawyer has advised that as she is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer valid.
A precondition to being on the Harpenden Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 obligations (last updated for this lender on Harpenden Building Society)which states that a local authority search be not more than 6 months old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Harpenden Building Society.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 25 kilometers to meet the lawyer.
Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel search 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 Harpenden Building Society solicitor panel.
I was scheduled to complete on my flat last Friday. My solicitor is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel but has moved offices 8 weeks ago and had not advised Harpenden Building Society of their new address. Harpenden Building Society has locked down the release of mortgage funds until such time as their systems are up to date with the correct details.
This is as unusual as it is unlucky. The majority of lender Terms of Conveyancing Panel Appointment specifically oblige the solicitor to inform the lender of an address change. Your solicitor needs to treat this with the utmost urgency. Do speak with or register your concern with the senior partner (assuming he or she is not your direct lawyer). Most lenders would be reasonable in this situation and expedite the resolution of this issue. It may be prudent to enlist the help of your local Harpenden Building Society branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can assist.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Harpenden Building Society as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Harpenden Building Society do not ordinarily appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Harpenden Building Society list
My husband and I are at the point of looking at houses and now considering a potential offer. Should I already have a conveyancer appointed at this stage? I intend to finance via a mortgage with Harpenden Building Society
You should start obtaining conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Harpenden Building Society , make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel.
I have a mortgage with Harpenden Building Society. Conveyancing was finalised months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Harpenden Building Society?
Your original mortgage agreement with Harpenden Building Society will provide that you need their approval in advance of renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Harpenden Building Society’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Harpenden Building Society directly. You need not do this via a Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor.