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approved by Scottish Widows
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Scottish Widows 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 Scottish Widows Bank plc Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Scottish Widows Bank plc Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Scottish Widows Bank plc Conveyancing Panel
FAQs : The Scottish Widows Solicitor Panel
My financial adviser has informed me that I have to pay Scottish Widows fees should I instruct my family lawyer. How good are the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use as long as they're good and reasonably priced. Would you recommend a specific law firm on the Scottish Widows panel?
Scottish Widows’s conveyancing panel is substantial so it would be advisable to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Scottish Widows will allow to act for them.
I am buying a brand new duplex and my solicitor is telling me that she has to reveal incentives from the builder as her firm is on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel. The Estate Agents are hassling me to exchange contracts and I have no desire to delay the conveyancing. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Scottish Widows approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Scottish Widows). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your directory have online case tracking as I was under the impression that this was a precondition of being on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
I am buying a terraced house and getting a mortgage with Scottish Widows. 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 Scottish Widows 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 Scottish Widows conveyancing panel in your location.
Can I register a complaint to Scottish Widows about the lawyers being on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel?
There is little point in complaining directly to Scottish Widows. 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.
I am selling my flat. I had a double glazing fitted in month 2010 but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My purchaser’s lender, Scottish Widows are being difficult. The solicitor who is on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel is recommending indemnity insurance as a solution but Scottish Widows are requiring a building regulation certificate. Why do Scottish Widows have a conveyancing panel of they don’t accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Scottish Widows have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Scottish Widows may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing correctly and safely installed. It merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage app going with Scottish Widows?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Scottish Widows and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
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Transfer of Equity for Scottish WidowsPlease note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors