Common questions asked concerning the Intelligent Finance Solicitor Panel from members of the public
My IFA has asked me for my solicitor’s panel reference for the Intelligent Finance conveyancing panel. What is the best way to discover this. I have e-mailed my local Intelligent Finance office but they have not got back to me yet.
the sensible thing to do is ask for this information from your solicitor. They should have a central record lender panel numbers including the Intelligent Finance panel reference.
My solicitor has uncovered an inconsistency between the information in Intelligent Finance’s home valuation survey and what is revealed within the title deeds. My solicitor says that as he is on the Intelligent Finance conveyancing panel he must check that the lender is with this discrepancy and is content go ahead. Is my solicitor’s stance correct?
A precondition to being on the Intelligent Finance approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Intelligent Finance) 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 you.
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Intelligent Finance solicitor panel?
No. There is no CML Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
My grandfather passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Intelligent Finance , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this allowed?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Intelligent Finance will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Intelligent Finance conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Intelligent Finance conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Intelligent Finance mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
We have agreed a price on a house I spoke to a solicitor recommended by my dad and he recommended using a solicitor approved by Intelligent Finance. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Intelligent Finance if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Intelligent Finance suggested that either practice can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Intelligent Finance 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Ask Intelligent Finance to suggest a law firm in your location. Lenders have them all over the country. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Intelligent Finance conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto Intelligent Finance conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Intelligent Finance’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house. My mortgage broker pressured me to appoint their lawyers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Intelligent Finance 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 Intelligent Finance 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.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Intelligent Finance mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Intelligent Finance mortgage in order to sell?
In terms of the Intelligent Finance mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Intelligent Finance in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.
