Together Personal Finance Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers from members of the public
My financial adviser has informed me that I have to pay Together Personal Finance fees should I instruct my family lawyer. How good are the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel solicitors? I'm happy to use any solicitor in the country TBH provided that they are good and reasonably priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Together Personal Finance panel?
Together Personal Finance’s conveyancing panel is substantial so your best bet is just to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Together Personal Finance will allow to act for them.
can you help? My lawyer is advising me that she is duty-bound to order a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Together Personal Finance solicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with Together Personal Finance 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 Together Personal Finance’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Together Personal Finance. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Together Personal Finance solicitor panel?
No. There is no CML Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
What happens if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Together Personal Finance Solicitor panel prior to completion?
The first thing to point out is that, 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 at a cost.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation 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 join their approved list of firms.
I was thinking of purchasing my friend’s property. Assuming we can agree a figure, what’s the best way to proceed? I plan to obtain a mortgage with Together Personal Finance. Is it possible to avoid using solicitors to save on the costs? My father said that years ago it was possible to take the documents into the local Land Registry office and they did the rest
If you are getting a mortgage with Together Personal Finance involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel. We would not encourage you to both use the same solicitors' firm. There are clear conflict of interest issues and it's not going to make a huge difference to the speed of the overall process. So as not to hold things us you should pass on your solicitors details to Together Personal Finance. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel.
On the whole I have been dissatisfied with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Together Personal Finance conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Together Personal Finance about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors 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 properly dealt with 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.