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approved by RBS- 1st Active
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the RBS- 1st Active list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Find an Approved Solicitor on the The Royal Bank of Scotland plc First Active Conveyancing Panel
Q and A’s regarding the RBS- First Active Solicitor Panel
My fiance and I are FTBs. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. RBS- First Active have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our solicitor is not on their approved list of lawyers. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property with the assistance of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser's solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender.
In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Accreditation Scheme. Your solicitors should contact RBS- First Active and see if they can apply for membership of the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable RBS- First Active will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.
My solicitor has requested from me ID documents asserting that this forms part of his legal duty as a solicitor on the RBS- First Active Solicitor panel. Can this be correct?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Client Care letter that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that RBS- First Active also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with RBS- First Active CML Handbook requirements last updated on RBS- First Active
I have been looking for competitive conveyancing fees. Can I be assured that all the law firms that are listed on your website are on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel?
The law firms listed on our site have assured us via an online form that they are on the RBS- First Active panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the RBS- First Active 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 RBS- First Active conveyancing panel is not accurate.
I am purchasing a new build flat and getting a mortgage with RBS- First Active. Conveyancing solicitors are said to be ‘a necessary evil’ but can I do it myself?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing you will have to appoint a solicitor on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to made in you doing to conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel in your location.
is it true that all solicitors on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
We were going to get a DIP from RBS- First Active this week so we can work out what to offer on a property we like as otherwise we are dependent on web based calculators (which aren't taking into account credit checks etc).Do the RBS- First Active recommend a solicitor on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel, or is it better to find our own lawyer
You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the RBS- First Active through the process.
Completion of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from RBS- First Active. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about RBS- First Active. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
All lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the RBS- First Active branches or the Customer Services Team at RBS- First Active head office. We understand that complaints to RBS- First Active are resolved very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.