FAQs : The West Bromwich Building Society Conveyancing Panel from members of the public
We are purchasing a 3 bedroom flat in Leeds with a mortgage from West Bromwich Building Society. We like our lawyer but West Bromwich Building Society says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the West Bromwich Building Society panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; is there anything we can do?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the West Bromwich Building Society 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. A further alternative is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for West Bromwich Building Society
Please assist. For no fault of my lawyer but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from West Bromwich Building Society was dated random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6 months + 3. My solicitor says that as she is on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer valid.
A precondition to being on the West Bromwich Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on West Bromwich Building Society)which specifies 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 West Bromwich Building Society.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 25 miles to meet the lawyer.
Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the West Bromwich Building Society solicitor panel.
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the West Bromwich Building Society 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 West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel?
A selection of lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership however gives 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.
After shopping around on the internet I have found a solicitor having checked that they are on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
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Having digested plenty of house buying,I note that they all recommend that you should get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. Is that normal?
West Bromwich Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually West Bromwich Building Society will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey.
You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller.
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Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with West Bromwich Building Society you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
West Bromwich Building Society 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 West Bromwich Building Society or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. West Bromwich Building Society will tell you what documents they want. West Bromwich Building Society 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. West Bromwich Building Society 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.
