Scottish Building Society Solicitor Panel Example Support Desk Enquires from members of the public
I am progressing with the sale of my apartment and the estate agent has just telephoned to advise that the buyers are switching property lawyer. I am told that this is due to the fact that Scottish Building Society will only work with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only engage with certain law firms?
UK lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 years.
Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.
Can you help?. For no fault of my lawyer but, my purchase conveyancing has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Scottish Building Society was issued random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 10 days inc Day of week eg. Mon. My lawyer says that as she is on the Scottish Building Society conveyancing panel she needs to redo the searches as they are now out of date.
A precondition to being on the Scottish Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Scottish Building Society)which states that a local authority search be not more than 6 months old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Scottish Building Society.
Having used your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Scottish Building Society conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Scottish 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 Scottish 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 Scottish Building Society solicitor panel.
I am considering applying for a Scottish Building Society mortgage for purchase of a new build (under development) with 60% LTV. Is it compulsory to choose a solicitor on the conveyancing panel for Scottish Building Society?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor but Scottish Building Society will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
I previously instructed online solicitors located in Bristol who are on the Scottish Building Society solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £150 for dealing with the Scottish Building Society mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Scottish Building Society?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Scottish Building Society but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Scottish Building Society will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
Completion of my purchase has taken place with a loan from Scottish Building Society. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about Scottish Building Society. How does one go about formally complaining?
All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Scottish Building Society branches or the Customer Care Department at Scottish Building Society head office. Ordinarily complaints to Scottish Building Society are sorted out effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Scottish Building Society 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 Scottish Building Society mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Scottish Building Society 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 Scottish Building Society 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.
