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approved by Mortgage Express
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Mortgage Express list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
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How does my firm apply to be on the Mortgage Express Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Mortgage Express Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Mortgage Express Conveyancing Panel
Frequently asked questions relating to the Mortgage Express (No 2) Conveyancing Panel
My fiance and I are FTBs. Within the 48 hours our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Mortgage Express (No 2) have this morning contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. Please explain?
When purchasing a property with the benefit 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 property lawyers should contact Mortgage Express (No 2) and see if they can apply for membership of the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Mortgage Express (No 2) will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
Please assist. For no fault of my lawyer but, my purchase conveyancing has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Mortgage Express (No 2) was dated random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6. My solicitor has advised that as she is on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel she needs to redo the searches as they are no longer valid.
A precondition to being on the Mortgage Express (No 2) approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Mortgage Express (No 2))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 Mortgage Express (No 2).
I require the services of a Mortgage Express (No 2) panel solicitor in Belfast. Can you assist?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Mortgage Express (No 2) panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Mortgage Express (No 2) to find out which solicitors in Mortgage Express (No 2) are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. At a fee of one pound per month it is not expensive to register on the site
I am trying to get my ex-husband taken off the mortgage deeds. Can Mortgage Express (No 2) really insist on which solicitor I can or can not use?
You can use any solicitor you like but Mortgage Express (No 2) then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the Mortgage Express (No 2) solicitors panel
I had instructed online solicitors based in Bristol who are on the Mortgage Express (No 2) solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £135 for the legal aspects of the Mortgage Express (No 2) mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Mortgage Express (No 2)?
Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Mortgage Express (No 2) but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Mortgage Express (No 2) will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I have had an offer accepted on a apartment I spoke to a lawyer recommended by my brother and he advised retaining a property lawyers approved by Mortgage Express (No 2). The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Mortgage Express (No 2) if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Mortgage Express (No 2) pointed out that either firm can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Mortgage Express (No 2) 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Ask Mortgage Express (No 2) for conveyancing panel firms in your area. Most banks have lawyers on their panel throughout the UK. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Mortgage Express (No 2)’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.
My offer was accepted on an apartment on the 17th February 2014, valuation was booked five days later, received a clean bill of health. Solicitor appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Mortgage Express (No 2) and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel. Are Mortgage Express (No 2) entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
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 Mortgage Express (No 2) to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Mortgage Express (No 2) conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.