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St James Place 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 St James Place Conveyancing Panel?
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How can my firm be reinstated onto the St James Place 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 such as AmTrust. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This software assists the way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their requirements, with automatic updates on St James Place’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising the software is not a condition for being on the St James Place panel, demonstrating you can remain up to date with St James Place’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your application to their lender panel and, just as importantly, protect your panel standing.

The system creates real-time alerts, automatically produces regulatory and CQS reports, and will increase your firm's efficiency. It is also simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by St James Place

Banks and building societies often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from St James Place 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, St James Place has made 29 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the UK Finance Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 94.1 days. In total, 12% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for St James Place have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,
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Examples of recent questions relating to the St James Place Solicitor Panel from members of the public

My husband and I are hoping to buy a 2 bedroom flat in London with a mortgage from St James Place. We like our lawyer but St James Place says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the St James Place panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the St James Place conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for St James Place
Please help. My conveyancer is assuring me that she is duty-bound to conduct a Local Authority search stemming from the fact that the firm are on the St James Place solicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with St James Place 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 St James Place’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated St James Place. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
Having used your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the St James Place conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the St James Place 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 St James Place 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 St James Place solicitor panel.
The solicitors that I appointed last week on my purchase in Newcastle has suddenly closed. I only went with them because I needed a firm on the St James Place conveyancing panel and my preferred lawyer was not. I paid them £200 on account. What should be my next steps?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the St James Place conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the St James Place conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of firms.
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with St James Place. Solicitors have been instructed? What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from St James Place?
There is no definitive answer here. Have St James Place done the valuation? Have you advised St James Place as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the St James Place conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property off the council. I have a mortgage agreed with St James Place. Conveyancing is new to me. 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 St James Place you will need to appoint a solicitor on the St James Place conveyancing panel.

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