Examples of recent questions relating to the HSBC Solicitor Panel from members of the public
Much to my surprise I have been told by my estate agent that my solicitor is not on the HSBC Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?
You need to contact your conveyancer. You lawyer should advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they could put your in touch with solicitors on the the approved HSBC solicitor panel.
Please assist. My lawyer is not to blame but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from HSBC was dated random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6 months + 3. My solicitor has advised that as she is on the HSBC conveyancing panel she needs to redo the searches as they are no longer acceptable to the lender.
A precondition to being on the HSBC approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 obligations (last updated for this lender on HSBC)which states that a local authority search be not more than half a year old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to HSBC.
Having used your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the HSBC conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the HSBC approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the HSBC conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the HSBC solicitor panel.
I am thinking of remortgaging my flat does my lawyer have to be on the HSBC Conveyancing panel?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor but HSBC will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with an additional lawyer added to the mix, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
Do most 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 HSBC conveyancing panel requirements are different to HSBC’s conveyancing panel requirements.
Can I register a complaint to HSBC about the lawyers being on the HSBC conveyancing panel?
Complaining to HSBC about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. Usually one can find this 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.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyers I paid an upfront payment of 200. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the HSBC 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 HSBC 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.
