Manchester Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. Supported by the CML and PI insurers such as AmTrust. It is a unique risk management tool.

This system facilitates the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with alerts on Manchester Building Society’s changes. Even though utilising the tool is not a condition for acceptance on the Manchester Building Society panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Manchester Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your application to their lender panel and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

The software generates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. In addition it is user friendly, cost-effective and, for many firms, results in a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Manchester Building Society

Banks and building societies often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Manchester Building Society are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, frequently:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, Manchester Building Society has made 43 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 63.5 days. In total, 17% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Manchester Building Society have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.14.1c 01/12/2014 CML
buildings insurance total sum insured calculation
6.14.3 01/12/2014 CML
notification of non-renewal/cancellation for buildings insurance policy
3.1.5 01/12/2014 CML
ID Documentation
Manchester Building Society panel lawyers requirements re ID Documentation: Further acceptable documents (if any)
10.2a 25/01/2012 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
Do Manchester Building Society send the mortgage advance electronically or by cheque?
3.2.3 17/12/2010 CML
Conveyancing Solicitors Details for Sellers
Manchester Building Society requirements for notification of the name and address of the solicitors firm or licensed conveyancers firm acting for the seller?
4.3 16/12/2010 CML
Mortage valuation
Contact details at Manchester Building Society for approved lawyers where assumptions stated by the valuer are incorrect
14.1.4 01/12/2010 CML
Post Completion Conveyancing
Does the Manchester Building Society require their conveyancing panel to make a form CH2 application to the Land Registry ?
4.3 01/12/2010 CML
Mortage valuation
Contact details at Manchester Building Society for approved lawyers where assumptions stated by the valuer are incorrect
4.5a 01/12/2010 CML
Mortagge valuation - Reinspections
Contact details at Manchester Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers where re-inspection required
5.5.1a 01/12/2010 CML
requirements in terms of time for planning consents

Last update 06/11/2019

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

My wife and I are FTBs. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. Manchester Building Society have this evening contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser's solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender.

In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme. Your property lawyers should contact Manchester Building Society and see if they can apply for membership of the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Manchester Building Society will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

Our conveyancer has identified a defect with the lease for the flat we are purchasing. The other side have offered defective title insurance as a workaround. We are happy with insurance and will cover the costs. Our solicitor says that as he is on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel he must check that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or Manchester Building Society?
The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and Manchester Building Society are the client. A precondition to being on the Manchester Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Manchester Building Society). The CML Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that Manchester Building Society can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected . 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.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 25 miles to meet the solicitor.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Manchester Building Society solicitor panel.
I am selling my house. Does my solicitor have to be on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
We have a mortgage agreed in principle with Manchester Building Society. Solicitors have been instructed? How long does it take for Manchester Building Society to send the offer to our conveyancer
There is no definitive answer here. Have Manchester Building Society completed the valuation? Have you advised Manchester Building Society as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel? sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued
My husband and I are in the throws of viewing houses and now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have a conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I will be getting a home loan with Manchester Building Society
It would be sensible to have your start your search soon rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Manchester Building Society , make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel.
Me and my partner are buying a penthouse in Hendon. Conveyancing solicitors in Hendon need to beappointed. My brother-in-lawadvised that we enquire that the property lawyer in Hendon is on the Manchester Building Society solicitors panel. Is this right?
Far from all Hendon conveyancing solicitors are on the Manchester Building Society conveyancing panel. Click here to search for a Hendon conveyancing solicitor on the on the Manchester Building Society solicitors pane.