Royal Bank of Scotland Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and professional indemnity insures. It is a unique risk management tool.

This system is the only way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on Royal Bank of Scotland’s changes. Even though using the tool is not a prerequisite for Royal Bank of Scotland , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Royal Bank of Scotland’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, protect your panel status.

The system generates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for some firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Royal Bank of Scotland

Mortgage companies frequently vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Royal Bank of Scotland 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, Royal Bank of Scotland has made 560 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 4.9 days. In total, 66% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Royal Bank of Scotland have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
16.3.2 15/11/2018 CML
Transfer of Equity
The Royal Bank of Scotland plc details for requesting debt amount
16.4.1 15/11/2018 CML
Consent to Let
Contact details at The Royal Bank of Scotland plc for consent to let.
17.2.1a 15/11/2018 CML
Redemption Payments
Where do solicitors and conveyancers send the discharge and repayment remittance in relation to The Royal Bank of Scotland plc mortgages ?
5.14.9 20/09/2018 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Contact details at The Royal Bank of Scotland plc for approved lawyers for matters relating to the lease.
5.4.4 20/09/2018 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Environmental Searches
The Royal Bank of Scotland plc panel lawyers requirement as to whether they want receive environmental or contaminated land reports
5.14.11 03/09/2018 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
The Royal Bank of Scotland plc panel lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : acceptability of indemnity insurance where the terms of the lease are unsatisfactory
Defective Lease Indemnity Insurance
14.1.5 02/03/2018 CML
Post Completion Conveyancing
Does the The Royal Bank of Scotland plc need to be sent the original mortgage deed and/or any other original title documents by their conveyancing panel ?
10.7 28/12/2017 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
In the event of a delayed completion, when and how is advance to be returned to The Royal Bank of Scotland plc by the approved lawyer?
16.5.3c 28/12/2017 CML
Deed of Easement
Contact details at The Royal Bank of Scotland plc for conveyancing panel lawyers to send the deed of easement .
17.2.1a 28/12/2017 CML
Redemption Payments
Where do solicitors and conveyancers send the discharge and repayment remittance in relation to The Royal Bank of Scotland plc mortgages ?

Last update 12/03/2019

Royal Bank of Scotland Conveyancing Panel Sample Enquires to our Call Center from members of the public

It has come to my attention via my mortgage adviser that my solicitor is not on the Royal Bank of Scotland Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?
The best course of action for you to take is to contact your conveyancer. You lawyer should advise you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a firm that is on the conveyancing panel for Royal Bank of Scotland.
Our solicitor has identified a problem with the lease for the property we are purchasing. The other side have offered defective title insurance as a solution. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our lawyer says that as he is on the Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel he must ensure that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is Royal Bank of Scotland?
Just because you have a mortgage offer from Royal Bank of Scotland 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 Royal Bank of Scotland are the client. These conveyancing instructions must be adhered to by the Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and Royal Bank of Scotland
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Royal Bank of Scotland 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.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Royal Bank of Scotland Conveyancing panel before completion?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. 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 am buying a property where the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Royal Bank of Scotland be concerned
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Royal Bank of Scotland your lawyer must to check the Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing instructions contained in the Part of CML Handbook for Royal Bank of Scotland . The CML Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Royal Bank of Scotland where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. Requirements for Scotland are due in the near future.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My financial adviser recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 175. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Royal Bank of Scotland panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
My offer was accepted on an apartment on the 5th March 2014, valuation was booked 2 days later, received a clean bill of health. Conveyancer instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Royal Bank of Scotland and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Royal Bank of Scotland to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Royal Bank of Scotland conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.