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Scottish Widows Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

Looking for information about your firm's panel status?

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How can my firm apply to be on the Scottish Widows Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status
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How can my firm be reinstated onto the Scottish Widows Conveyancing Panel?
Check your firm’s panel Status

COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. It is supported by PI insurers. It is a unique risk management tool.

This system assists the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with alerts on Scottish Widows’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising COMPLETIONmonitor is not a prerequisite for Scottish Widows , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Scottish Widows’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, just as importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

The software creates real-time alerts, automatically produces regulatory and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. In addition it is user friendly, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to a PII saving.

Find a Law Firm approved by Scottish Widows

Banks and building societies frequently change their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Scottish Widows 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, Scottish Widows has made 716 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the UK Finance Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 3.8 days. In total, 46% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Scottish Widows have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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FAQs for the Scottish Widows Solicitor Panel from members of the public

Am I correct in assuming that the fact that my conveyancer is not on the Scottish Widows Conveyancing panel that there is a problem with the quality of her conveyancing?
That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. 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 Scottish Widows.
I am due to move into my new home next Monday. My conveyancing lawyer has asked me to provide him with a copy of the building insurance for the house as as he informs me that he is duty bound to validate that it is in order for Scottish Widows. What does the insurance need to cover?
Any lawyer on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in Scottish Widows’s Part 2 requirements of the CML Handbook (last updated on Scottish Widows). Being on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel your lawyer is expect to follow these requirements.
Is it necessary during the course of the conveyancing process to visit the offices of the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will appoint a lawyer who conducts conveyancing in Leeds so that I can attend their offices if necessary.
Most conveyancing panel lawyers for Scottish Widows undertake all of the work via the post, internet or over the phone. This means that they can undertake your Conveyancing Transaction no matter where you live in England or Wales. However you should check if you can still book an appointment to go into appointed conveyancing lawyer if you prefer.
I am selling my house. Does my solicitor have to be on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Scottish Widows 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.
Do the majority of lenders 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 Scottish Widows conveyancing panel requirements are different to Scottish Widows’s conveyancing panel requirements.
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Scottish Widows conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Scottish Widows about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get information from the solicitor’s or conveyancer’s website or ask at their office. They must tell you about it if you ask.

The Legal Ombudsman will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the solicitor. It can also advise you how to complain.

If a licensed conveyancer does not have a complaints procedure or will not tell you about it, contact the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the conveyancer. Please see below for more information.

Scottish Widows have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on house has been accepted, now what?
The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Scottish Widows or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Scottish Widows will tell you what documents they want. Scottish Widows will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Scottish Widows will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.

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