St James Place Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and PI insurers such as AmTrust. It is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system is the only way you can prove to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with notifications given on St James Place’s changes. Even though utilising the tool 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 a helpful support to your panel application and, just as importantly, safeguard your panel status.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates 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 St James Place

Lenders often change 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 CML 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.

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
6.14.1b 01/12/2014 CML
buildings insurance in joint names or lender interest noted
6.14.1d 01/12/2014 CML
maximum excess re building insurance
6.14.2 01/12/2014 CML
requirement that all insurance risks are included
6.14.3 01/12/2014 CML
notification of non-renewal/cancellation for buildings insurance policy
6.14.4 01/12/2014 CML
sending a copy of the buildings insurance policy and last premium
3.1.5 01/12/2014 CML
ID Documentation
St James Place Bank panel lawyers requirements re ID Documentation: Further acceptable documents (if any)
17.2.1b 12/07/2013 CML
Evidence of Discharge of Mortgage
Do St James Place Bank send the discharge via a DS 1 form or direct with the Land Registry?
17.2.1b 01/12/2010 CML
Evidence of Discharge of Mortgage
Do St James Place Bank send the discharge via a DS 1 form or direct with the Land Registry?
5.5.1a 01/12/2010 CML
requirements in terms of time for planning consents
6.6.1 19/10/2010 CML
contact point if property is let/to be let and to check lender requirements on buy-to-let

Last update 11/07/2019

Q and A’s regarding the St James Place Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

Is the fact that my conveyancer is not isted on the St James Place Solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of her work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. 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 most common reasons for removal are: (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 St James Place.
We are getting closer to an exchange and my mum and dad having transferred the 10% deposit to my lawyer. I am now advised that as the deposit has not come from me my lawyer needs to disclose this to my lender St James Place. Apparently, being on the St James Place conveyancing panel and acting on their behalf he must inform St James Place if the balance of the mortgage advance is coming from anyone other than me. I disclosed to the bank about my parent’s contribution when I applied for the home loan so is it really necessary for this now to be an issue?
Your lawyer is obliged to check with St James Place to make sure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. Your solicitor can only report this to St James Place if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.
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.
I am attempting to get my ex-husband removed the mortgage deeds. Can St James Place really insist on which solicitor I can or can not use?
You can use any solicitor you like but St James Place then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the St James Place solicitors panel
I can not work out if my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date . I have called into my local branch St James Place on numerous occasions and told it wasn't a problem and they would lend. My solicitor - who is on the St James Place conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told not they would not lend in accordance with their CML Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the conveyancer is on the St James Place panel she or he must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for St James Place. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that St James Place will go ahead your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask St James Place to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.
Planning on purchasing a flat with a mortgage with St James Place. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the St James Place conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the St James Place conveyancing panel
My offer on house has been accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties booked. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What should be my next step? At what point should I appy for the mortgage with St James Place?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the St James Place conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with St James Place and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.