M&S Bank Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and professional indemnity insures. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk management tool.

This system assists the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their requirements, with alerts on M&S Bank’s changes. Even though utilising the software is not a condition for acceptance on the M&S Bank panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with M&S Bank’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, just as importantly, protect your panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor generates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. In addition it is simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by M&S Bank

Mortgage companies often change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from M&S Bank 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 2008, M&S Bank has made 129 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 21.2 days. In total, 36% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for M&S Bank have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

Book a Personalised Demo

M&S Bank Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers from members of the public

We are purchasing a 3 bedroom flat in London with a mortgage from M&S Bank. We would like to retain our lawyer but M&S Bank says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the M&S Bank panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
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 M&S Bank 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 lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for M&S Bank
Our conveyancer has discovered a legal deficiency with the lease for the property we are buying. The seller’s lawyers have suggested defective title insurance as a solution. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our solicitor has advised that as he is on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel he must be satisfied that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or M&S Bank?
Just because you have a mortgage offer from M&S Bank does not mean to say that the property will be meet their requirements for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the CML Handbook Requirements. You and M&S Bank are the client. The appropriate lender requirements have to be complied with by the M&S Bank conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and M&S Bank
I am buying a house and need a conveyancing solicitor in Newcastle who is on the M&S Bank conveyancing. Can you recommend a local firm?
Our service is a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for M&S Bank . We don’t recommend any particular firm.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the M&S Bank Conveyancing panel prior to completion?
The first thing to point out is that, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
Do conveyancing lawyers on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel work on a no sale no fee basis?
On the whole there are no requirements by lenders for their firms to operate on a no-sale-no-fee basis. There a small number of lenders who operate a very restricted conveyancing panel managed by a third party company (often termed in the industry as a ‘gatekeeper’). That third party may impose certain conditions such as non-sale-no fee on the panel firms. If you require this as a condition of your conveyancing then you should check with the conveyancing firm that this is part of their package
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having made sure that they are on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property? Or Having digested plenty of mortgage guides,I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
M&S Bank will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually M&S Bank will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with M&S Bank you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment 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 do I do now? When should I get the mortgage app going with M&S Bank?
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 M&S Bank 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 M&S Bank and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.