The Mortgage Lender Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is an online pre- and post-completion checklist for residential conveyancing lawyers. Supported by the Council of Mortgage Lenders and professional indemnity insures. 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 automatic updates on The Mortgage Lender’s changes. Even though utilising the tool is not a condition for acceptance on the The Mortgage Lender panel, demonstrating you can remain up to date with The Mortgage Lender’s Handbook requirements is a helpful support to your panel application and, just as importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

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

Find a Law Firm approved by The Mortgage Lender

Mortgage companies frequently vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from The Mortgage Lender are not guidelines, they are instructions from a client. As with many clients, instructions can change - and they do change, frequently:

A Timeline of Policy Changes


Since 2008, The Mortgage Lender has made 210 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 13.0 days. In total, 34% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for The Mortgage Lender have been changed since 15/12/2008.

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Q and A’s regarding the The Mortgage Lender Solicitor Panel from members of the public

A lawyer my fiance and I wanted to use for conveyancing on a remortgage said she would charge more if my mortgage is with The Mortgage Lender because of their unusual legal requirements. Will I regret using The Mortgage Lender? Is The Mortgage Lender conveyancing so much more difficult?
The Mortgage Lender conveyancing requirements for their panel are no better or no more complicated than most lenders. It is the case now the CML Handbook, the "bible" used by solicitors to establish lender requirements, is different for each lender. It is not clear if your lawyer is on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel. If they are not, this does add further risk of delay as The Mortgage Lender will appoint their own solicitors to look after their interest.
Can you help?. For no fault of my lawyer but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from The Mortgage Lender was issued random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6. My solicitor informs me that as she is on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer valid.
One of the many conditions to being on the The Mortgage Lender approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on The Mortgage Lender)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 The Mortgage Lender.
I have been searching for online conveyancing estimates. Can I be assured that all the law firms that are listed on your website are on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel?
The law firms listed on our site have advised us that they are on the The Mortgage Lender panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the The Mortgage Lender panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel is incorrect.
My conveyancers in Liverpool have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with The Mortgage Lender. Is it case that being on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
Different lenders have different requirements but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the The Mortgage Lender Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting The Mortgage Lender directly.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel?
Some major lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
How can we tell if a solicitor on the The Mortgage Lender panel is any good?
obtaining recommendations is a good starting point. Before you go ahead check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always recommend that you speak with the lawyer handling your conveyancing
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
There is little point in complaining directly to The Mortgage Lender. Every solicitor firm and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. Usually one can find this 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 addressed 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.