Sainsbury's Bank Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Lexsure’s COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and professional indemnity insures. It is a unique risk mitigation 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 notifications given on Sainsbury's Bank’s changes. Even though utilising the tool is not a prerequisite for Sainsbury's Bank , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Sainsbury's Bank’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, more importantly, protect your panel standing.

COMPLETIONmonitor generates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will enhance your firm's efficiency. In addition it is user friendly, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Sainsbury's Bank

Mortgage companies often vary 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.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

Book a Personalised Demo

Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.6.2 20/05/2019 CML
Buy to Let Conveyancing
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers when law firm does not have details of current letting or letting to take place at completion.
10.2b 31/05/2017 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
What is the minimum number of days notice Sainsburys Bank require ahead of sending the mortgage advance?
10.9 31/05/2017 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
Do Sainsburys Bank have a specific contact point if completion is delayed for their conveyancing panel?
16.3.4 31/05/2017 CML
Transfer of Equity
Sainsburys Bank requirements for approved lawyers as to whether Sainsburys Bank need to be sent the Transfer of Equity
17.2.1a 31/05/2017 CML
Redemption Payments
Where do solicitors and conveyancers send the discharge and repayment remittance in relation to Sainsburys Bank mortgages ?
1.7 31/05/2017 CML
General Mortgage Instructions
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for conveyancing panel lawyers to if Sainsburys Bank will lend when borrower and mortgagor are not one and the same.
4.1 31/05/2017 CML
Mortage valuation
Do Sainsburys Bank arrange for there to be a valuation report and if so, do they provide it to their approved lawyers ?
5.17.5b 31/05/2017 CML
Power of Attorney
Sainsburys Bank requirements for conveyancing panel lawyers as to whether Sainsburys Bank need to be sent statutory declaration of non-revocation of power of attorney
5.19.1 31/05/2017 CML
Shared Ownership and Shared Equity
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for conveyancing panel lawyers for lending on affordable housing, shared equity and shared ownership and where relevant Sainsburys Bank requirements.
5.7.1b 31/05/2017 CML
Freehold Flats
Sainsburys Bank panel lawyers clarification as to whether they lend on freehold flats

Last update 28/01/2020

Sainsburys Bank Solicitor Panel Example Support Desk Enquires from members of the public

My IFA has has requested my law firm’s panel reference for the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel. What is the best way to discover this. I have e-mailed my local Sainsburys Bank branch but they have not responded to me.
You are best placed to get this information from your conveyancing lawyer. A law firm is likely to keep a file or database of lender panel information which would include, if applicable their conveyancing panel details for Sainsburys Bank.
I do hope you can help me. My lawyer is assuring me that he is legally obliged to conduct a Local Authority search as the firm are on the Sainsburys Bank approved lawyer panel. Is this really necessary?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Sainsburys Bank. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I require the services of a Sainsburys Bank panel solicitor in Belfast. Could you help me?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Sainsburys Bank panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Sainsburys Bank to find out which solicitors in Sainsburys Bank are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. After all the cost is only one £1 a month
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
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. Am I right?
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 have instructed a lawyer having made sure that they are on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property? Or Having digested plenty of mortgage guides,I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Sainsburys Bank will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Sainsburys Bank will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Sainsburys Bank you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Sainsburys Bank mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Sainsburys Bank mortgage in order to sell?
In terms of the Sainsburys Bank mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Sainsburys Bank in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.