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approved by Santander
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Santander list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Looking for information about your firm's panel status?
How does my firm apply to be on the Santander Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Santander Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Santander Conveyancing Panel
Q and A’s regarding the Santander Solicitor Panel
Is the fact that my conveyancer is not on the Santander Solicitor panel that there is a problem with the quality of the firm’s work?
It would not be wise to jump to that conclusion. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for Santander.
We are due to exchange on the purchase a house but as a result of damage from the recent storms I have agreed compensation from the seller of £3k approx by way of a reduction in the price. This was going to be dealt with as part of the conveyancing process but my mortgage company Santander will not agree to this. Why was Santander even consulted?
Your lawyer being on the Santander conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Santander of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyers to disclose the reduction to Santander then they would have to discontinue acting for you and Santander.
Do I need to attend the offices of the Santander conveyancing panel solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Newcastle
so that I can pop in to their offices if necessary.
Most conveyancing panel lawyers for Santander 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.
I was scheduled to move into my dream home last Friday. My solicitor is on the Santander solicitors panel but has moved offices in the past couple of months and had not advised Santander of their new address. Santander has locked down the release of mortgage funds until such time as their systems are up to date with the correct details.
This is a rare situation indeed. Most lender Terms of Conveyancing Panel Appointment specifically oblige the solicitor to inform the lender of an address change. Your solicitor needs to treat this with the utmost urgency. Do speak with or register your concern with the senior partner (assuming he or she is not your direct lawyer). Most lenders would be reasonable in this situation and expedite the resolution of this issue. It may be prudent to enlist the help of your local Santander branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can assist.
Do most banks operate their own panel of solicitors?
Many lenders do operate a restricted conveyancing panel but a lot of lenders allow any solicitors to join their panel so long as they meet their criteria. Each lender sets their own criteria. For example the Santander conveyancing panel requirements are different to Santander’s conveyancing panel requirements.
Last month we had a mortgage agreed in principle with Santander. Solicitors have been chosen? What is the average time that one could expect to receive a mortgage offer from Santander?
Some lenders take longer than others. Have Santander completed the survey? Have you advised Santander as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the Santander conveyancing panel? It is not unusual for a mortgage offer to take a month to come through
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Santander conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Santander panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.
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Transfer of Equity for SantanderPlease note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors