Examples of recent questions relating to the Sainsburys Bank Solicitor Panel from members of the public
Much to my surprise I have been told by my lender that my lawyer is not on the Sainsburys Bank Solicitor panel. What can I do to check?
You need to contact your lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to 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 Sainsburys Bank.
Our conveyancer has uncovered a defect with the lease for the apartment we are purchasing. The other side have suggested 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 Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel he must be satisfied that the lender is happy with this solution. Are we the client or is Sainsburys Bank?
Just because you have a mortgage offer from Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank are the client. The appropriate lender requirements must be adhered to by the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and Sainsburys Bank
I have been looking for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be assured that all the practices that are listed on your site are on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices on our directory have assured us via an online form that they are on the Sainsburys Bank panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Sainsburys Bank panel. To date we have not been informed by either a mortgage company or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel is incorrect.
I am trying to get my ex-husband taken off the mortgage deeds. Can Sainsburys Bank really insist on which solicitor I can or can not instruct?
You can use any solicitor you like but Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank solicitors panel
Do most banks operate their own panel of solicitors?
Many lenders do operate a restricted conveyancing panel but a lot of lenders allow any solicitors to join their panel so long as they meet their criteria. Each lender sets their own criteria. For example the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel requirements are different to Sainsburys Bank’s conveyancing panel criteria.
I have paid off my mortgage with Sainsburys Bank. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Sainsburys Bank panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Sainsburys Bank mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Sainsburys Bank mortgage from the register. Sainsburys Bank,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the Sainsburys Bank has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the Sainsburys Bank has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Sainsburys Bank mortgage has been paid off.
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My financial adviser suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 150. 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.