Find an Approved Solicitor on the Danske Bank UK
Conveyancing Panel
Q and A’s regarding the Danske Bank Solicitor Panel
My husband and I are novices when it comes to buying a property. Within the 48 hours our solicitor has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Danske Bank have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our conveyancer 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 Accreditation Scheme.
Your solicitors should contact Danske Bank and see if they can apply for membership of the Danske Bank conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Danske Bank will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I am buying a newly built duplex and my solicitor is telling me that she is duty bound to disclose incentives from the developer as her firm is on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to exchange and I would rather not prolong deal. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Danske Bank approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Danske Bank). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I note that you have a post code search directory identifying firms on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel. Do firms pay you a commission if I retain them for my own house purchase?
We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.
We're in Wales, First time buyers purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Danske Bank , but our lawyer is on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Danske Bank 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
Is it the case that all conveyancing lawyers on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel work on a no sale no fee basis?
There is generally no requirements by lenders for their firms to operate on a no-sale-no-fee basis. There a small number of lenders who operate a very restricted conveyancing panel managed by a third party company (often termed in the industry as a ‘gatekeeper’). That third party may impose certain conditions such as non-sale-no fee on the panel firms. If you require this as a condition of your conveyancing then you should check with the conveyancing firm that this is part of their service
I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed
to by Danske Bank. Is it usual for Danske Bank to only issue the offer once my
solicitor is approved on their conveyancing panel?
A lender would not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Danske Bank to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Danske Bank conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.
Danske Bank have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on house has been accepted, now what?
The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Danske Bank or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Danske Bank will tell you what documents they want. Danske Bank will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Danske Bank will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.