Q and A’s regarding the Kensington Mortgage Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
My fiance and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Hackney with a mortgage from Kensington Mortgage. We like our lawyer but Kensington Mortgage says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the Kensington Mortgage panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; Can we not simply insist that Kensington Mortgage use our lawyer?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Kensington Mortgage
We are nearing an exchange and my mum and dad having transferred the 10% deposit to my lawyer. I am now advised that as the deposit has not come from me my lawyer needs to disclose this to my lender Kensington Mortgage. Apparently, being on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel and acting on their behalf he must inform Kensington Mortgage if the balance of the mortgage advance is coming from anyone other than me. I informed the bank about my parent’s contribution when I applied for the mortgage so is it really necessary for this now to be an issue?
Your lawyer is obliged to check with Kensington Mortgage to make sure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. Your solicitor can only report this to Kensington Mortgage if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.
Having used your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Kensington Mortgage 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 Kensington Mortgage 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 Kensington Mortgage solicitor panel.
I am purchasing a garden flat and getting a mortgage with Kensington Mortgage. Can I do my own conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing you will have to appoint a solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to made in you doing to conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel in your location.
Hi, thinking about buying a house off my mate. Assuming we can agree a figure, what’s the best way to move forward? I plan to obtain a mortgage with Kensington Mortgage. Is there anyway to cut out the solicitors to save on the costs? My dad reckons back in the day he did a lot of it himself, just went into the land registry office and providing them with the info they needed himself
If you are getting a mortgage with Kensington Mortgage involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel. We would not encourage you to both use the same solicitors' firm. There are clear conflict of interest issues and it's not going to make a huge difference to the speed of the overall process. So as not to hold things us you should pass on your solicitors details to Kensington Mortgage. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel.
I have today made my last payment due on mortgage with Kensington Mortgage. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Kensington Mortgage mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kensington Mortgage mortgage from the register. Kensington Mortgage,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the Kensington Mortgage has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the Kensington Mortgage has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Kensington Mortgage mortgage has been paid off.
The for formalities of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from Kensington Mortgage. Conveyancing was of an acceptable standard but I would like to complain about Kensington Mortgage. How does one go about formally complaining?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Kensington Mortgage branches or the Customer Care Department at Kensington Mortgage head office. In most cases complaints to Kensington Mortgage are sorted out very quickly. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
