Landbay Partners Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers from members of the public
I am progressing with the sale of my apartment and the EA has just called to say that the buyers are switching solicitor. I am told that this is due to the fact that Landbay Partners will only deal with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. Why would a major lender only work with certain lawyers?
UK lenders have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.
Lenders point to the increase in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is being contacted daily by practices that have been removed from panels, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
I am buying a brand new apartment and my lawyer is telling me that she has to disclose incentives from the builder as her firm is on the Landbay Partners conveyancing panel. I am on a tight deadline to sign contracts and I would rather not prolong deal. is my lawyer taking the correct approach?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Landbay Partners approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Landbay Partners). 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 require the services of a Landbay Partners panel solicitor in Stirling. Can you assist?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Landbay Partners panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Landbay Partners to find out which solicitors in Landbay Partners are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site
The firm that I appointed last week on my purchase in London has without warning closed. I only went with them because I needed a solicitor on the Landbay Partners conveyancing panel and my previous lawyer was not. I paid them £200 on account. What do I do now?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Landbay Partners conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist
We expect to receive a DIP from Landbay Partners this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we only have online calculators to go by (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc).Do the Landbay Partners recommend a solicitor on the Landbay Partners conveyancing panel, or is it better to go independently
You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Landbay Partners conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the Landbay Partners through the process.
On the whole I have been dissatisfied with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Landbay Partners conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
There is little point in complaining directly to Landbay Partners. Every solicitor firm and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get 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.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Landbay Partners 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 Landbay Partners mortgage in order to sell?
In terms of the Landbay Partners 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 Landbay Partners 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.