Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

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

This software facilitates the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with notifications given on Saffron Building Society’s changes. While using this technology is not a prerequisite for Saffron Building Society , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Saffron Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, more importantly, safeguard your panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces compliance and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Saffron Building Society

Mortgage companies often change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Saffron 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, Saffron Building Society has made 139 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 19.6 days. In total, 58% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Saffron Building Society have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
10.10 01/12/2014 CML
holding the mortgage advance
10.7 01/12/2014 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
In the event of a delayed completion, when and how is advance to be returned to Saffron Building Society by the approved lawyer?
6.14.4 01/12/2014 CML
sending a copy of the buildings insurance policy and last premium
3.1.5 01/12/2014 CML
ID Documentation
Saffron Building Society panel lawyers requirements re ID Documentation: Further acceptable documents (if any)
16.1.1 30/06/2014 CML
Title Documents
Saffron Building Society details for requesting Title Documentation
16.4.1 30/06/2014 CML
Consent to Let
Contact details at Saffron Building Society for consent to let.
16.5.2 30/06/2014 CML
Deed of Variation
Contact details at Saffron Building Society for approved lawyers for confirming proposed deed of variation or agreement will not adversely affect Saffron Building Society
17.1.1 30/06/2014 CML
Redemption Statements
Contact details at Saffron Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to request redemption statements .
6.13.1 30/06/2014 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Improvement or Repair Grants
Contact details at Saffron Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to used where Saffron Building Society needs to be notified where property is affected by improvement/repair grant which will not be discharged.
6.14.1a 30/06/2014 CML
contact point if property is not insured in accordance with lender requirement

Last update 18/03/2019

Common questions asked concerning the Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

My lawyer is not on the Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel. Can I still continue with my family solicitor notwithstanding that they are excluded from the Saffron Building Society list of approved lawyers?
The most common options here are as follows:
  1. Complete the purchase with your preferred lawyers but Saffron Building Society will need to instruct a lawyer on the Saffron Building Society 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 Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel.
  3. Convince your lawyer to do everything within their powers to join the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel
I do hope you can help me. My conveyancer is informing me me that he is legally obliged to conduct a Local Authority search stemming from the fact that the firm are on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. Is this really necessary?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with Saffron Building Society your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Saffron Building Society’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Saffron Building Society. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Saffron Building Society approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the Saffron Building Society solicitor panel.
My aunt passed away six months ago and as sole heir and executor was left the house. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Saffron Building Society , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this allowed?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Saffron Building Society will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Saffron 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 Saffron Building Society 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 Saffron Building Society mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel?
It is true that some lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. 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 approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with Saffron Building Society. Conveyancing is not something I have any knowledge of. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
It is not advisable proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event if you are getting a mortgage with Saffron Building Society you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel.
The mortgage over my property is with Saffron Building Society. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. If I am intending to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a buy-to-let mortgage or inform Saffron Building Society?
Your original mortgage agreement with Saffron Building Society will provide that you need their approval before letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Saffron Building Society’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Saffron Building Society directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel lawyer.