Ipswich Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the CML and PI insurers. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system optimises the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with notifications given on Ipswich Building Society’s changes. While utilising the tool is not a prerequisite for Ipswich Building Society , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Ipswich Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, just as importantly, protect your firm’s panel status.

The software creates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. It is also user friendly, cost-effective and, for some firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Ipswich Building Society

Mortgage companies often vary their requirements. The BSA instructions from Ipswich 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 2010, Ipswich Building Society has made 36 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the BSA Requirements.
That equates to a section change every 75.8 days. In total, 34% of the sections of the BSA Requirements for Ipswich Building Society have been changed since 26/1/2010.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
D.13 23/11/2018 BSA
Conveyancing Searches: Personal Searches and/or insurance
Ipswich Building Society panel lawyers clarification as to whether they accept personal searches/insurance and, if yes, the Ipswich Building Society requirements
C.10 19/08/2014 BSA
Tenancy Agreements
Does Ipswich Building Society need to be sent a copy of the proposed tenancy?
C.2 04/08/2014 BSA
Mortage valuation
Do Ipswich Building Society arrange for there to be a valuation report and if so, do they provide it to their approved lawyers ?
C.10 04/08/2014 BSA
Tenancy Agreements
Does Ipswich Building Society need to be sent a copy of the proposed tenancy?
D.52 04/08/2014 BSA
Leasehold Conveyancing : Management Company
Ipswich Building Society panel lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : requirement as to whether a copy of the management company documents need to be sent to them
F.1 04/08/2014 BSA
General Mortgage Instructions
Contact details at Ipswich Building Society for approved lawyers to obtain mortgage documentation
F.6 04/08/2014 BSA
Transfer of Equity
Ipswich Building Society requirements for approved lawyers as to whether Ipswich Building Society need to be sent the Transfer of Equity
D.11 04/08/2014 BSA
Conveyancing Searches: Environmental Searches
Ipswich Building Society approved lawyers requirement as to whether they want receive environmental or contaminated land reports
C.27 04/08/2014 BSA
Building Insurance
Ipswich Building Society approved lawyers additional requirements concerning building insurance
F.19 23/04/2010 BSA
Mortgage Discharge
Hoe does Ipswich Building Society discharge their interest : Advice to Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel lawyers

Last update 11/11/2019

FAQs : The Ipswich Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

My Conveyancer is not listed on the Ipswich Building Society Solicitor Panel. Can I still continue with my family solicitor even though they are not on the Ipswich Building Society panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
You have a number of options available to you here:
  1. Complete the purchase with your existing solicitors but Ipswich Building Society will need to instruct a lawyer on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel. This will result in additional cost and potential delay.
  2. Get a new solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel.
  3. Convince your lawyer to do everything within their powers to join the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel
I am buying a newly constructed flat and my lawyer is telling me that she has to disclose incentives from the developer as her firm is on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I have no desire to prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Ipswich Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Ipswich Building Society). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I note that you have a post code search directory listing firms on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I instruct them for my conveyancing?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
My solicitors in Newcastle have advised me that they can not locate my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with Ipswich Building Society. Is it case that being on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Ipswich Building Society Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Ipswich Building Society directly.
Do the majority of 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 Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel requirements are different to Ipswich Building Society’s conveyancing panel criteria.
I can not work out if my mortgage offer requires a lease extension . I have called Ipswich Building Society on various occasions and told it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My solicitor - who is on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told not they would not lend in accordance with their CML Handbook minimum lease term requirements. I simply dont know who is right
As long as the conveyancer is on the Ipswich Building Society panel she or he must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for Ipswich Building Society. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that Ipswich Building Society will go ahead your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask Ipswich Building Society to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.
My offer on house has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What should be my next step? When should I get the mortgage app going with Ipswich Building Society?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Ipswich Building Society conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Ipswich Building Society and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.