Find an Approved Solicitor on the Leeds Building Society
Conveyancing Panel
Leeds Building Society Conveyancing Panel Example Support Desk Enquires
My partner and I are FTBs. Within the 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Leeds Building Society have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
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 Quality Scheme.
Your solicitors should contact Leeds Building Society and see if they can apply for membership of the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Leeds Building Society will instruct their own solicitors to act. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Our lawyer has uncovered a problem with the lease for the flat we are purchasing. The other side have put forward defective title insurance as a solution. We are content with insurance and will cover the costs. Our lawyer has advised that as he is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel he must be satisfied that the lender is happy with this solution. Who is the client here, us or Leeds Building Society?
Just because you have a mortgage offer from Leeds Building Society does not mean to say that the property will be meet their requirements for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the CML Handbook Requirements. You and Leeds Building Society are the client. The appropriate lender requirements must be adhered to by the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and Leeds Building Society
I see that you have a search directory identifying firms on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a referral fee if I appoint them for my own house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
We're in Wales, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Leeds Building Society , but our lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side’s solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain
I am buying a property where the roof has a solar panel. Leeds Building Society have issued a mortgage offer so presumably this is not a concern to them. Why is my solicitor raising questions about the panel?
Given that you are obtaining a mortgage with Leeds Building Society your lawyer must to check the Leeds Building Society conveyancing instructions contained in the Part of CML Handbook for Leeds Building Society . The CML Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Leeds Building Society where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. The CML are developing guidance for Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Can I register a complaint to Leeds Building Society about the lawyers being on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel?
Complaining to Leeds Building Society about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. Every solicitor firm 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 addressed 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.
My offer was accepted on a house on the 20th February 2014, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Conveyancer retained, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Leeds Building Society and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. Can the lender hold off the offer?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Leeds Building Society to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Leeds Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.