Sainsbury's Bank Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. Supported by the CML and professional indemnity insures. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This software facilitates the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their requirements, 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 remain up to date with Sainsbury's Bank’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, just as importantly, protect your firm’s panel status.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces regulatory and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. In addition it is user friendly, cost-effective and, for some firms, results in a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Sainsbury's Bank

Lenders frequently 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, over time:

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,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
10.3 31/05/2017 CML
Mortgage Advance and Certificate of Title
What are the standard deductions made by Sainsburys Bank from the mortgage advance?
16.5.3a 31/05/2017 CML
Deed of Variation
Sainsburys Bank requirements for approved lawyers as to whether Sainsburys Bank need to be sent a Deed of Variation
17.1.1 31/05/2017 CML
Redemption Statements
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers to request redemption statements .
5.13.1 31/05/2017 CML
Balance of Monies
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers where borrower is not providing balance of purchase price from funds/proposing to give second charge.
Insolvency Act Indemnity Insurance Deed of Gift Indemnity Insurance
5.14.12 31/05/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
Sainsburys Bank panel lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : requirement as to whether a clear ground rent/service charge receipt needs to be sent to them
5.15.2a 31/05/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing : Management Company
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers for apparent problems with the management company.
5.1.1 31/05/2017 CML
Properties owned for less than 6 months
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for approved lawyers where there is a restriction on use.
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:.
6.2.1 31/05/2017 CML
Property Description
Contact details at Sainsburys Bank for conveyancing panel lawyers to used where there are any discrepancies in property's description.
9.2 31/05/2017 CML
Defective Title Insurance
Sainsburys Bank clarification to panel lawyers clarification as to limit of indemnity insurance Sainsburys Bank require
Adverse Possession Indemnity Insurance Possessory Title Indemnity Insurance Missing Deeds Indemnity Insurance Defective Title Indemnity Insurance

Last update 29/11/2019

FAQs for the Sainsburys Bank Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

For what reasons could a firm of solicitors be excluded from the Sainsburys Bank approved conveyancing panel?
According to a recent survey report by the solicitors regulator three quarters of law firms had been excluded from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
  1. Low volume 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. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by Sainsburys Bank
My conveyancer is asking me for identification documents stating that this forms part of his legal duty as a solicitor on the Sainsburys Bank Conveyancing panel. Is this right?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that Sainsburys Bank also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with Sainsburys Bank CML Handbook requirements last updated on Sainsburys Bank
How do I search for a local solicitor on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 20 kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Sainsburys Bank solicitor panel.
I am considering applying for a Sainsburys Bank mortgage for purchase of a newly converted (under development) with 70% loan to value. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Sainsburys Bank?
In theory, you could use a solicitor that is not on Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel, but Sainsburys Bank would require one of their panel solicitors to be instructed to act in their interests, and you'd have to pay for this - so most people instruct a panel solicitor. It's also easier, as otherwise you'd have to deal with two solicitors for the same transaction.
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 requirements.
I am currently in the process of buying my council flat. I have a mortgage offer with Sainsburys Bank. 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 Sainsburys Bank you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their lawyers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting 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.