Stafford Railway Building Society Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for property lawyers. Supported by the CML and PI insurers. COMPLETIONmonitor is a unique risk mitigation tool.

This system facilitates the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can remain fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on Stafford Railway Building Society’s changes. Notwithstanding that utilising this technology is not a condition for acceptance on the Stafford Railway Building Society panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with Stafford Railway Building Society’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, just as importantly, safeguard your panel status.

The software generates real-time alerts, automatically produces COLP and CQS reports, and will improve your firm's efficiency. In addition it is simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, leads to reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Stafford Railway Building Society

Banks and building societies often vary their requirements. The BSA instructions from Stafford Railway Building Society 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 2010, Stafford Railway Building Society has made 48 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the BSA Requirements.
That equates to a section change every 56.9 days. In total, 50% of the sections of the BSA Requirements for Stafford Railway Building Society have been changed since 26/1/2010.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
A.12 03/02/2020 BSA
Conveyancing Panel
Stafford Railway Building Society conveyancing panel criteria
B.19 30/01/2020 BSA
Power of Attorney
Stafford Railway Building Society requirements for approved lawyers as to whether Stafford Railway Building Society need to be sent power of attorney
C.10 30/01/2020 BSA
Tenancy Agreements
Does Stafford Railway Building Society need to be sent a copy of the proposed tenancy?
D.32 30/01/2020 BSA
Commonhold
Stafford Railway Building Society panel lawyers clarification as to whether they lend where the title is commonhold
D.55 30/01/2020 BSA
Shared Ownership and Shared Equity
Stafford Railway Building Society requirements for conveyancing panel lawyers for lending on affordable housing, shared equity and shared ownership properties
E.1 30/01/2020 BSA
General Mortgage Instructions
Contact details at Stafford Railway Building Society for conveyancing panel lawyers to obtain mortgage documentation
E.10 30/01/2020 BSA
Conveyancing : retenions by mortgage company
Stafford Railway Building Society clarification to approved lawyers clarification as to who they release retentions (or instalments of the advance) to
D.24 30/01/2020 BSA
Flying Freeholds and Freehold Flats
Stafford Railway Building Society panel lawyers clarification as to whether they lend on flying freeholds and freehold flats
D.26 30/01/2020 BSA
Freehold and leasehold owner of multiple flats
Stafford Railway Building Society panel lawyers clarification as to whether they accept security which comprises a building converted into not more than four flats where the borrower occupies one of those flats and the borrower or another flat owner also owns the freehold of the building and the other flats are subject to long leases?
D.11 30/01/2020 BSA
Conveyancing Searches: Environmental Searches
Stafford Railway Building Society panel lawyers requirement as to whether they want receive environmental or contaminated land reports

Last update 22/03/2020

Common questions asked concerning the Stafford Railway Building Society Solicitor Panel from members of the public

How easy is it to change a solicitor as I need to find one who is on the Stafford Railway Building Society conveyancing panel. How easy is it to change conveyancer?
If you haven't yet instructed a solicitor to do anything for you and have just received quotes, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer you're considering.
My conveyancer is asking me for personal identification documents asserting that this is part of his requirements as a solicitor on the Stafford Railway Building Society Conveyancing panel. This is news to me - can I refuse?
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 Stafford Railway Building Society 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 Stafford Railway Building Society CML Handbook requirements last updated on Stafford Railway Building Society
I require the services of a Stafford Railway Building Society panel solicitor in Belfast. Can you assist?
It is not clear why you need a Stafford Railway Building Society panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Stafford Railway Building Society to find out which solicitors in Stafford Railway Building Society are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Stafford Railway Building Society Conveyancing panel prior to the moving date as agreed at exchange of contracts?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit for a fee.
is it true that all solicitors on the Stafford Railway Building Society conveyancing panel regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Stafford Railway Building Society conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
I am buying a property where the roof has a solar panel. Solicitors conducting should look into this right? Will my lender Stafford Railway Building Society be concerned
As you are obtaining a mortgage with Stafford Railway Building Society your lawyer must to check the Stafford Railway Building Society conveyancing instructions contained in the Part of CML Handbook for Stafford Railway Building Society . The CML Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Stafford Railway Building Society where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. Requirements for Scotland are due in the near future.
I have paid off my mortgage with Stafford Railway Building Society. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Stafford Railway Building Society panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Stafford Railway Building Society mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Stafford Railway Building Society mortgage from the register. Stafford Railway Building Society,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage: but are not moving to another property where the Stafford Railway Building Society has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and the Stafford Railway Building Society has instructed the Land Registry to do so The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Stafford Railway Building Society mortgage has been paid off.