Vida Homeloans Conveyancing Lender Panel Compliance Tool

COMPLETIONmonitor is web-based 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 management tool.

This software 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 Vida Homeloans’s changes. While utilising COMPLETIONmonitor is not a prerequisite for Vida Homeloans , demonstrating you can stay up to date with Vida Homeloans’s Handbook requirements is an excellent support to your panel application and, just as importantly, protect your firm’s panel status.

The system generates real-time alerts, automatically produces SRA and CQS reports, and will enhance your firm's efficiency. In addition it is simply to use, cost-effective and, for many firms, results in reduced PII premiums.

Find a Law Firm approved by Vida Homeloans

Banks and building societies often vary their requirements. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook requirements from Vida Homeloans 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, Vida Homeloans has made 60 revisions or additions to sections of their version of the CML Handbook.
That equates to a section change every 45.5 days. In total, 4% of the sections of P2 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook for Vida Homeloans have been changed since 15/12/2008.

To find out more about lender panel compliance,

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Frequently asked questions relating to the Vida Homeloans Conveyancing Panel from members of the public

My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in Leeds with a mortgage from Vida Homeloans. We like our lawyer but Vida Homeloans says he's not on their "panel". It seems we have little choice but to instruct one of the Vida Homeloans panel solicitors or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. We feel as though this is unjust; is there anything we can do?
Unfortunately,no. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Vida Homeloans
Much to my surprise my solicitor has requested from me proof of ID documents stating that this is part of his obligations as a solicitor on the Vida Homeloans Conveyancing panel. Am I being spun a yarn?
Due to Money Laundering Regulations your conveyancing lawyer is duty bound to confirm positively your identification when entering into a business relationship with you. It is a criminal offense if your lawyer not do this. If you do not provide ID early in the transaction the solicitor must refuse to act for you. It’s unlikely a lawyer will turn you away if you come to the first meeting without relevant ID but you will have to produce it at some point so you might as well bring it with you to the initial meeting so the lawyer can tick the ID verification box and start sorting out the conveyancing straight away. If you are getting a mortgage with Vida Homeloans your lawyer also has to check ID documents to satisfy Vida Homeloans
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 Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership 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 remain on their approved list of firms.
Do most lenders operate their own panel of solicitors?
Many lenders do operate a restricted conveyancing panel but a lot of lenders allow any solicitors to join their panel so long as they meet their criteria. Each lender sets their own criteria. For example the Vida Homeloans conveyancing panel requirements are different to Vida Homeloans’s conveyancing panel requirements.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment accepted, the seller does however have a dependent purchase. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What should be my next step? At what point should I appy for the mortgage with Vida Homeloans?
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 Vida Homeloans 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 Vida Homeloans and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.