The Mortgage Lender 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 software assists the way you can demonstrate to lender panels that you are, and can stay fully compliant with their instructions, with automatic updates on The Mortgage Lender’s changes. While using this technology is not a condition for being on the The Mortgage Lender panel, demonstrating you can stay up to date with The Mortgage Lender’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, just as importantly, safeguard your firm’s panel status.

COMPLETIONmonitor creates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will increase 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 The Mortgage Lender

Banks and building societies often change 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, over time:

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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Recent Changes Include

# Date Assoc. Changes Related To
16.1.1 25/01/2019 CML
Title Documents
The Mortgage Lender Limited details for requesting Title Documentation
16.5.3c 25/01/2019 CML
Deed of Easement
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for approved lawyers to send the deed of easement .
5.19.1 25/01/2019 CML
Shared Ownership and Shared Equity
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for conveyancing panel lawyers for lending on affordable housing, shared equity and shared ownership and where relevant The Mortgage Lender Limited requirements.
5.5.4 25/01/2019 CML
Planning Permission and Building Regulations : Restrictions
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for conveyancing panel lawyers where the property is subject to restrictions which may affect its value or marketability
Restrictive Covenant Indemnity Insurance
6.13.1 25/01/2019 CML
Conveyancing Searches: Improvement or Repair Grants
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for approved lawyers to used where The Mortgage Lender Limited needs to be notified where property is affected by improvement/repair grant which will not be discharged.
5.14.1 27/04/2018 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing
The Mortgage Lender Limited panel lawyers leasehold conveyancing requirements : minimum unexpired lease term
5.15.2a 14/12/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing : Management Company
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for conveyancing panel lawyers for apparent problems with the management company.
5.16.2 14/12/2017 CML
Leasehold Conveyancing : Management Company
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for approved lawyers if unable to certify search entry on bankruptcy search does not relate to borrower.
5.5.3a 14/12/2017 CML
Planning Permission and Building Regulations : Breaches
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for conveyancing panel lawyers where there evidence of breach and all outstanding conditions will not be satisfied by completion
Lack of Planning Permission Indemnity Insurance
6.1.3 14/12/2017 CML
Mortgage offer not taken up
Contact details at The Mortgage Lender Limited for conveyancing panel lawyers where for reporting purposes if borrower is not taking up the mortgage offer

Last update 29/03/2020

The Mortgage Lender Conveyancing Panel Recently Asked Questions from members of the public

I instructed a solicitor to conduct the legal paperwork on my remortgage three weeks ago having applied for a mortgage with The Mortgage Lender. The law firm reassured me that they are on The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel and gave me their panel reference. The Mortgage Lender then told me that their panel number was dormant and would need to be reactivated. What do I do from here? Do I instruct a different law firm currently on the approved panel for The Mortgage Lender?
The answer depends on whether you still have confidence in the said solicitors and how long it will take for the firm to be reinstated on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel You may wish to enlist the help of your broker to check with the The Mortgage Lender as to how long they think it will take to get the firm to get back on the panel.
I am purchasing a brand new flat and my conveyancer is informing me that she is duty bound to reveal incentives from the builder as her practice is on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel. I am on a tight deadline to exchange contracts and I would rather not delay matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition 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). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the The Mortgage Lender 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 The Mortgage Lender 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 The Mortgage Lender solicitor panel.
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the The Mortgage Lender Conveyancing panel prior to completion?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. 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 at a cost.
My wife and I have arranged a further advance on our mortgage from The Mortgage Lender as we wish to carry out a loft conversion to our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
The Mortgage Lender do not ordinarily instruct a member of their conveyancing panel to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the The Mortgage Lender list
My fiance and I are at the point of viewing apartments and am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I I am planning to take a mortgage with The Mortgage Lender
You should start obtaining conveyancing quotes from solicitors ASAP. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with The Mortgage Lender , ask your prospective lawyers check they are on the The Mortgage Lender conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
The Mortgage Lender 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 The Mortgage Lender or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. The Mortgage Lender will tell you what documents they want. The Mortgage Lender 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. The Mortgage Lender 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.