Sainsbury's Bank 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 management tool.

This software optimises the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on Sainsbury's Bank’s changes. Even though using this technology is not a condition for being on the Sainsbury's Bank panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Sainsbury's Bank’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your application to their lender panel and, just as importantly, safeguard your panel standing.

The software generates 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 some firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Sainsbury's Bank

Lenders often change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Sainsbury's Bank 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, Sainsbury's Bank has made 121 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 22.6 days. In total, 57% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Sainsbury's Bank have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
16.3.4 31/05/2017 CML
Transfer of Equity
Sainsburys Bank requirements for conveyancing panel lawyers as to whether Sainsburys Bank need to be sent the Transfer of Equity
16.4.2 31/05/2017 CML
Tenancy Agreements
Does Sainsburys Bank need to be sent a copy of the proposed tenancy?
5.14.12 31/05/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Sainsburys Bank approved lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : requirement as to whether a clear ground rent/service charge receipt needs to be sent to them
5.14.13 31/05/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Sainsburys Bank panel lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : requirement as to whether a copy of the notice or evidence of service of Notice of Charge needs to be sent to them
5.15.2c 31/05/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing : Management Company
Sainsburys Bank approved lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : requirement as to whether a copy of the signed blank stock transfer form needs to be sent to them
5.5.3c 31/05/2017 CML
Building Regulation Consent
Sainsburys Bank panel lawyers clarification as to whether they need to send an original/copy of any building regulation consents
5.10.1 31/05/2017 CML
Properties owned for less than 6 months
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for conveyancing panel lawyers where the seller has owned the property for less than 6 months:.
6.13.1 31/05/2017 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Improvement or Repair Grants
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers to used where Sainsburys Bank needs to be notified where property is affected by improvement/repair grant which will not be discharged.
6.1.3 31/05/2017 CML
Mortgage offer not taken up
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers where for reporting purposes if borrower is not taking up the mortgage offer
6.7.1 31/05/2017 CML
New Build Conveyancing
Sainsburys Bank panel conveyancer requirements for New Build Conveyancing : Home Warranty Schemes

Last update 28/03/2020

Sainsburys Bank Solicitor Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public

Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my solicitor is not on the Sainsburys Bank Solicitor panel that there is a problem with the standard of the firm’s conveyancing?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 3 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for Sainsburys Bank.
Please assist. For no fault of my lawyer but, my purchase conveyancing has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Sainsburys Bank was dated random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on Tues etc. My solicitor has advised that as she is on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer acceptable to the lender.
One of the many conditions to being on the Sainsburys Bank approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Sainsburys Bank)which specifies that a local authority search be not more than half a year old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Sainsburys Bank.
Are the lawyers identified as being on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel, together with their details provided by Sainsburys Bank?
The firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Sainsburys Bank directly.
My uncle 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 £4500. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Sainsburys Bank , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this possible?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Sainsburys Bank will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
The mortgage over my property is with Sainsburys Bank. Conveyancing was finalised a year ago. In the event that I decide to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Sainsburys Bank?
Sainsburys Bank must be informed of your intention prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Sainsburys Bank’s mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies will permit you to let 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 Sainsburys Bank directly. You need not do this via a Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel firm.
It is not clear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date . I have telephoned Sainsburys Bank on numerous occasions and told it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My solicitor - who is on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told not they would not lend in accordance with their CML Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the conveyancer is on the Sainsburys Bank panel she or he must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for Sainsburys Bank. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that Sainsburys Bank will go ahead your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask Sainsburys Bank to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank 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.