Mortgage Agency Services Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

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

This software assists the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with notifications given on Mortgage Agency Services’s changes. Notwithstanding that using COMPLETIONmonitor is not a prerequisite for Mortgage Agency Services , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Mortgage Agency Services’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, protect your firm’s panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. In addition it is simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to a PII saving.

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Mortgage companies frequently change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Mortgage Agency Services 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, Mortgage Agency Services has made 22 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 124.1 days. In total, 10% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Mortgage Agency Services have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.7.1 25/03/2018 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Mortgage Agency Services approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
3.1.6 01/12/2014 CML
verification of identity
5.5.1a 01/12/2014 CML
requirements in terms of time for planning consents
6.14.1c 01/12/2014 CML
buildings insurance total sum insured calculation
6.14.2 01/12/2014 CML
requirement that all insurance risks are included
6.14.3 01/12/2014 CML
notification of non-renewal/cancellation for buildings insurance policy
5.20.4 08/07/2013 CML
Green Deal Plans
Mortgage Agency Services requirements for conveyancing panel/approved lawyers as to whether Mortgage Agency Services need to be advised as to details of any existing Green Deal Plan(s) on a property
14.1.5 29/04/2013 CML
Post Completion Conveyancing
Does the Mortgage Agency Services need to be sent the original mortgage deed and/or any other original title documents by their conveyancing panel ?
5.20.1 12/09/2012 CML
Solar Panels
Mortgage Agency Services requirements for conveyancing panel/approved lawyers as to whether Mortgage Agency Services need to be notified where the lease does not meet the CML minimum requirements for leases of roof space for solar PV panels
5.20.3 12/09/2012 CML
Panels PV Solar
Existence of additional requirements set by Mortgage Agency Services for conveyancing panel lawyers relating to leases of roof space for solar PV panels, and if so, what they are.

Last update 22/05/2019

Examples of recent questions relating to the Mortgage Agency Services Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

My property lawyer has never been on on the Mortgage Agency Services Solicitor Panel. Can I still use my family solicitor even though they are excluded from the Mortgage Agency Services list of approved lawyers?
The most common options here are as follows:
  1. Complete the purchase with your preferred lawyers but Mortgage Agency Services will need to instruct a lawyer on the Mortgage Agency Services 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 Mortgage Agency Services conveyancing panel.
  3. Urge your lawyer to apply to join the Mortgage Agency Services lender panel
We are due to exchange on the purchase a house but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have agreed compensation from the seller of £3k approx by way of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process but my mortgage company Mortgage Agency Services will not agree to this. Why was Mortgage Agency Services even consulted?
Your lawyer being on the Mortgage Agency Services conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Mortgage Agency Services of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyers to disclose the reduction to Mortgage Agency Services then they would have to discontinue acting for you and Mortgage Agency Services.
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your directory have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Mortgage Agency Services solicitor panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
I am considering applying for a Mortgage Agency Services mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) with 60% LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Mortgage Agency Services?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor but Mortgage Agency Services will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with an additional lawyer added to the mix, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
Are all Conveyancing Quality Solicitors on the Mortgage Agency Services conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their panels.
My wife and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from Mortgage Agency Services as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Mortgage Agency Services conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
Mortgage Agency Services do not ordinarily appoint a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Mortgage Agency Services panel
My offer on house has been accepted, the seller does however have a dependent purchase. 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 Mortgage Agency Services?
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 Mortgage Agency Services 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 Mortgage Agency Services and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.