Nationwide Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and PI insurers. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This software optimises the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their requirements, with automatic updates on Nationwide Building Society’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising the software is not a condition for acceptance on the Nationwide Building Society panel, demonstrating you can remain up to date with Nationwide Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, just as importantly, protect your panel status.

The system creates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will enhance your firm's efficiency. It is also user friendly, cost-effective and, for some firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Nationwide Building Society

Banks and building societies often change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Nationwide 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, Nationwide Building Society has made 327 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 8.3 days. In total, 45% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Nationwide Building Society have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
4.1 09/12/2019 CML
Mortage valuation
Do Nationwide Building Society arrange for there to be a valuation report and if so, do they provide it to their conveyancing panel lawyers ?
5.14.10 09/12/2019 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Nationwide Building Society approved lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : contact for service charge matters
5.15.2a 09/12/2019 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing : Management Company
Contact details at Nationwide Building Society for approved lawyers for apparent problems with the management company.
5.7.1a 09/12/2019 CML
Flying Freeholds
Nationwide Building Society panel lawyers clarification as to whether they lend on flying freeholds
6.4.4 09/12/2019 CML
Disclosing Incentives
Nationwide Building Society panel lawyers additional requirements concerning reporting incentives
1.15 09/04/2019 CML
General Mortgage Instructions
Can the panel conveyancing firm act for Nationwide Building Society if the person dealing with the conveyancing or a member of his immediate family is the borrower?
10.10 19/03/2019 CML
holding the mortgage advance
5.14.9 17/07/2018 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Contact details at Nationwide Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers for matters relating to the lease.
6.7.1 13/07/2018 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Nationwide Building Society approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
6.12.1 18/06/2018 CML
Pre-emption Rights, Options and Pre-emption Rights
Contact details at Nationwide Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to used where Nationwide Building Society needs to be notified where property is affected by pre-emption rights, resale restrictions, options etc .

Last update 21/01/2020

Frequently asked questions relating to the Nationwide Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

My lawyer has never been on on the Nationwide Building Society Solicitor Panel. Is it possible for me to use my family solicitor even though they are excluded from the Nationwide BS panel of approved conveyancing solicitors?
You have a number of options available to you here:
  1. Complete the purchase with your preferred lawyers but Nationwide Building Society will need to instruct a lawyer on the Nationwide BS 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 Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel.
  3. Urge your lawyer to apply to join the Nationwide BS lender panel
Expecting to complete my purchase next Friday. My conveyancing lawyer has asked me to provide him with a copy of the building insurance for the house as as he informs me that he is duty bound to validate that it is in order for Nationwide BS. What risks do Nationwide Building Society expect the insurance to cover?
Any lawyer on the Nationwide BS conveyancing panel would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in Nationwide Building Society’s Part 2 requirements of the CML Handbook (last updated on Nationwide BS). Being on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel your lawyer is expect to follow these requirements.
How up to date is your search tool for the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel? Do Nationwide BS send you an updated list?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Nationwide BS directly.
My grandmother passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor was left the house. The house had a relatively small loan left on it of around £4500. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Nationwide Building Society , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this allowed?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Nationwide BS will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Nationwide BS conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Nationwide Building Society mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I previously instructed online conveyancers located in Bristol who are on the Nationwide BS solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £135 for dealing with the Nationwide Building Society mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee specified by Nationwide BS?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Nationwide Building Society but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Nationwide BS will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
My fiance and I are spending time looking at flats and am about to put in an offer. Is it best to have a conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a home loan with Nationwide Building Society
It would be sensible to have your start your search soon rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer 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 Nationwide BS , make sure you remember to check that your lawyer is on the Nationwide BS conveyancing panel.
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Nationwide Building Society about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. Usually one can find this 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 properly dealt with 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.