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approved by Platform HL

Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

Your lawyer is obliged to check with Platform Home Loans to make sure that they are aware that the balance of the purchase price is not from your own funds. Your solicitor can only report this to Platform Home Loans if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

The law firms on our directory have advised us that they are on the Platform Home Loans panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Platform Home Loans panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel is not accurate.

It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Platform Home Loans Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Platform Home Loans directly.

Some major banks and building societies now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their panels.

Your lawyer has to follow the CML Handbook Part 2 requirements for Platform Home Loans. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that Platform Home Loans will go ahead your lawyer has no choice but to refrain from exchanging contract and committing you to the purchase. We would suggest that you ask Platform Home Loans to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.

Platform Home Loans will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Platform Home Loans will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Platform Home Loans you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.