Newcastle Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. Supported by the CML and PI insurers. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system is the only way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on Newcastle Building Society’s changes. Notwithstanding that using the tool is not a condition for acceptance on the Newcastle Building Society panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Newcastle Building Society’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your application to their lender panel and, more importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. It is also user friendly, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Newcastle Building Society

Banks and building societies often vary their requirements. The BSA instructions from Newcastle Building Society 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 2010, Newcastle Building Society has made 103 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the BSA Requirements.
That equates to a section change every 26.5 days. In total, 29% of the sections of the BSA Requirements for Newcastle Building Society have been changed since 26/1/2010.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
C.12 23/06/2017 BSA
New Build Conveyancing
Newcastle Building Society approved conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
C.12 10/06/2016 BSA
New Build Conveyancing
Newcastle Building Society panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
C.12 23/03/2016 BSA
New Build Conveyancing
Newcastle Building Society panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes
A.12 03/08/2015 BSA
Conveyancing Panel
Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel criteria
A.10 30/01/2014 BSA
General Mortgage Instructions
Contact details at Newcastle Building Society for approved lawyers to obtain mortgage documentation
B.22 30/01/2014 BSA
Occupiers at the Property
Newcastle Building Society panel conveyancer requirements for adult occupiers : Do Newcastle Building Society require a consent to mortgage from all occupants aged 17 or over
D.34 30/01/2014 BSA
Leasehold Conveyancing
Newcastle Building Society approved lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : minimum unexpired lease term
D.25 30/01/2014 BSA
Flying Freeholds and Freehold Flats
Newcastle Building Society approved lawyers clarification as to whether they lend on flying freeholds and freehold flats
D.11 30/01/2014 BSA
Conveyancing Searches: Environmental Searches
Newcastle Building Society panel lawyers requirement as to whether they want receive environmental or contaminated land reports
B.3 30/01/2014 BSA
Withdrawal of Mortgage Offer
Circumstances in which Newcastle Building Society may withdraw a mortgage offer

Last update 16/07/2019

Q and A’s regarding the Newcastle Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

I have been advised by my broker that I have to pay Newcastle Building Society fees if I use my own solicitor. How good are the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use as long as they're good and not exorbitantly priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Newcastle Building Society panel?
Newcastle Building Society’s conveyancing panel is pretty large so it would be advisable to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Newcastle Building Society will allow to act for them.
Our conveyancer has identified a legal deficiency with the lease for the flat we are buying. The seller’s lawyers have offered defective title insurance as a workaround. We are happy with insurance and will pay for it. Our lawyer has advised that as he is on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel he must ensure that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is Newcastle Building Society?
Just because you have a mortgage offer from Newcastle Building Society 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 Newcastle Building Society are the client. The appropriate lender requirements must be adhered to by the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and Newcastle Building Society
I am Googling for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be confident that all the law firms that are identified on your site are on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices listed on our site have advised us that they are on the Newcastle Building Society panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Newcastle Building Society panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel is incorrect.
I am trying to get my ex-husband taken off the mortgage deeds. Can Newcastle Building Society really insist on which solicitor I can or can not instruct?
You can use any solicitor you like but Newcastle Building Society then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the Newcastle Building Society solicitors panel
How can we tell if a solicitor on the Newcastle Building Society panel is any good?
Getting recommendations is a sensible starting point. Before you go ahead check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always suggest that you speak with the lawyer carrying out your conveyancing
The for formalities of my purchase has taken place with a loan from Newcastle Building Society. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about Newcastle Building Society. How does one go about formally complaining?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the Newcastle Building Society branches or the Customer Services Team at Newcastle Building Society head office. In most cases complaints to Newcastle Building Society are resolved very quickly. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
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 booked. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage app going with Newcastle Building Society?
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 Newcastle Building Society 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 Newcastle Building Society and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.