Nationwide Building Society Conveyancing Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public
We are hoping to buy a 3 bedroom flat in Hackney with a mortgage from Nationwide Building Society. We would like to retain our lawyer but Nationwide BS says she’s not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the Nationwide Building Society panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Nationwide BS use our lawyer?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Nationwide Building Society 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 Nationwide BS
Can you help?. My lawyer is not to blame but, my purchase conveyancing has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Nationwide Building Society was dated random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6. My solicitor says that as she is on the Nationwide BS conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer valid.
One of the many conditions to being on the Nationwide Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 obligations (last updated for this lender on Nationwide BS)which specifies that a local authority search be not more than 6 months old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Nationwide Building Society.
I see that you have a post code search directory identifying solicitors on the Nationwide BS conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I instruct them for my own house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is removed from the Nationwide BS Solicitor panel before completion?
First, this is very unlikely to happen. 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.
I was thinking of purchasing my friend’s property. Once we agree a price, what’s the best way to move forward? I plan to obtain a mortgage with Nationwide Building Society. Is it possible to avoid using solicitors to save on the costs? My father said that years ago it was possible to take the documents into the local Land Registry office and they did the rest
If you are getting a mortgage with Nationwide BS involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel. We would not encourage you to both use the same solicitors' firm. There are clear conflict of interest issues and it's not going to make a huge difference to the speed of the overall process. So as not to hold things us you should pass on your solicitors details to Nationwide BS. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Nationwide Building Society conveyancing panel.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Nationwide BS 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 Nationwide Building Society mortgage in order to sell?
In terms of the Nationwide BS 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 Nationwide Building Society 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.
Nationwide BS have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on house has been accepted, now what?
The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Nationwide Building Society or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Nationwide BS will tell you what documents they want. Nationwide Building Society will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Nationwide BS will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.
