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Q and A’s regarding the Swansea Building Society Solicitor Panel
I have been advised by my broker that I have to pay Swansea Building Society fees should I instruct my family lawyer. How efficient are the Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel solicitors? I'm happy to use any solicitor in the country TBH provided that they are good and not exorbitantly priced. Are there any Swansea Building Society conveyancers you'd recommend?
Swansea Building Society’s conveyancing panel is substantial so your best bet is just to check with the firms you are getting quotes from that they are on the panel. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Swansea Building Society will allow to act for them.
My husband and I changing mortgage lender for our maisonette with Swansea Building Society. We have a son 18 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we remortgaged 4 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Swansea Building Society .This is solely used to protect the Swansea Building Society if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.
It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Swansea Building Society had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.
Do all the firms listed on your directory have online case tracking as I was under the impression that this was a precondition of being on the Swansea Building Society solicitor panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
Can you clarify what the consequences are if my lawyer’s firm is suspended from the Swansea Building Society Conveyancing panel before the moving date as agreed at exchange of contracts?
First, this is a very rare occurrence. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
Is it the case that all solicitor firms on the Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel regulated by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
On the whole I have been dissatisfied with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Swansea Building Society conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Swansea Building Society about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. Every solicitor firm and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get 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 properly dealt with 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.