Find an Approved Solicitor on the Paratus AMC Ltd
Conveyancing Panel
Examples of recent questions relating to the Paratus AMC Solicitor Panel
My partner and I are FTBs. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Paratus AMC have this evening contacted us to advise us that there is now an issue as our solicitor is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
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 solicitors should contact Paratus AMC and see if they can apply for membership of the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Paratus AMC will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred lawyers, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
My conveyancer has discovered an inconsistency between the assumptions in Paratus AMC’s home valuation survey and what is revealed within the conveyancing documents. My lawyer has advised that as he is on the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel he is duty bound to check that the lender is happy with this discrepancy and is content go ahead. Is my conveyancer’s stance correct?
A precondition to being on the Paratus AMC approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Paratus AMC) which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.
Do I need to visit the offices of the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel solicitor to execute the mortgage deed? If so, I will instruct a firm who offer conveyancing in Bristol
so that I can attend their offices if required.
Most conveyancing panel lawyers for Paratus AMC undertake all of the work via the post, internet or over the phone. This means that they can undertake your Conveyancing Transaction no matter where you live in England or Wales. However you should check if you can still book an appointment to go into appointed conveyancing lawyer if you prefer.
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel in order to deal with redeeming my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Paratus AMC 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.
The for formalities of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from Paratus AMC. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I feel I should register my dissatisfaction about Paratus AMC. Who do I contact should I wish to lodge a complaint?
Almost all banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Paratus AMC branches or the Customer Care Team at Paratus AMC head office. We understand that complaints to Paratus AMC are sorted out effectively and efficiently. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service with full details of your complaint.
On the whole I have been dissatisfied with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Paratus AMC conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Paratus AMC about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get 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.
Planning on purchasing a flat with a mortgage with Paratus AMC. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the Paratus AMC conveyancing panel