Find an Approved Solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage Company Ltd
Conveyancing Panel
FAQs for the Kensington Mortgage Solicitor Panel
My husband and I are novices when it comes to buying a property. Within the last couple of days our conveyancer has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Kensington Mortgage have this morning contacted us to inform me that there is now an issue as our lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
If you are buying a property with the assistance 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 Kensington Mortgage and see if they can apply for membership of the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Kensington Mortgage will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the Kensington Mortgage 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 son is buying a newly built flat with a mortgage from Kensington Mortgage. His solicitor has said that there is a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The form is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when requested.
The Developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it.
The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
I am purchasing a property and need a conveyancing solicitor in Newcastle who is on the Kensington Mortgage solicitor. Can you recommend a local conveyancing firm?
Our service is a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for Kensington Mortgage . We don’t recommend any particular firm.
I am purchasing a garden flat and getting a mortgage with Kensington Mortgage. Can I do my own conveyancing?
Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing you will have to appoint a solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage 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 Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel in your location.
I had instructed online conveyancers based in Bristol who are on the Kensington Mortgage solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate fee of £195 for dealing with the Kensington Mortgage mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Kensington Mortgage?
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 Kensington Mortgage but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Kensington Mortgage will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee and others do not.
Do the majority of 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 Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel requirements are different to Kensington Mortgage’s conveyancing panel criteria.
I have today made my last payment due on mortgage with Kensington Mortgage. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Kensington Mortgage mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Kensington Mortgage mortgage from the register. Kensington Mortgage,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the Kensington Mortgage has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the Kensington Mortgage has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Kensington Mortgage mortgage has been paid off.