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approved by Banks & Clients

Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Banks & Clients list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.

Find an Approved Solicitor on the Banks and Clients plc Conveyancing Panel

FAQs for the Banks and Clients Solicitor Panel

I need to swap lawyers as my lawyer is not on the Banks and Clients panel of conveyancing solicitors. How easy is it to change conveyancer?
If you haven't yet instructed a solicitor to do anything for you and have just received quotes, you're perfectly free to choose a different solicitor to carry out your work for you. The best way is to get recommendations from friends or family who have actually used the solicitor or conveyancer you're considering.
We are nearing an exchange and my parents having sent the 10% deposit to my lawyer. I am now advised that as the deposit has not come from me my lawyer needs to disclose this to my lender Banks and Clients. Apparently, being on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel and acting on their behalf he must inform Banks and Clients if the balance of the mortgage advance is coming from anyone other than me. I informed the bank about my parent’s contribution when I applied for the home loan so is it really necessary for him to raise this?
Your lawyer is obliged to check with Banks and Clients 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 Banks and Clients if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Banks and Clients approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the Banks and Clients conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the Banks and Clients solicitor panel.
I was scheduled to move into my dream home last Friday. My solicitor is on the Banks and Clients solicitors panel but has moved offices 8 weeks ago and had not advised Banks and Clients of their new address. Banks and Clients is now refusing to release my funds as the information from the solicitors isn't correct.
This is a rare situation indeed. The majority of lender Terms of Conveyancing Panel Appointment specifically oblige the solicitor to inform the lender of an address change. Your solicitor needs to treat this with the utmost urgency. Do speak with or register your concern with the senior partner (assuming he or she is not your direct lawyer). Most lenders would be reasonable in this situation and expedite the resolution of this issue. It may be prudent to enlist the help of your local Banks and Clients branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can help.
I previously instructed online solicitors located in Birmingham who are on the Banks and Clients solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £175 for the legal aspects of the Banks and Clients mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee set by Banks and Clients?
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 Banks and Clients but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Banks and Clients will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I have paid off my mortgage with Banks and Clients. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Banks and Clients panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Banks and Clients 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 Banks and Clients mortgage from the register. Banks and Clients,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 Banks and Clients has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and the Banks and Clients has instructed the Land Registry to do so The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Banks and Clients mortgage has been paid off.
I was told four weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed to by Banks and Clients. Is it usual for Banks and Clients to only issue the offer once my solicitor is approved on their conveyancing panel?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Banks and Clients to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Banks and Clients conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.