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approved by Bradford & Bingley
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Bradford & Bingley list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Find an Approved Solicitor on the Bradford & Bingley Limited Conveyancing Panel
Q and A’s regarding the Bradford & Bingley Conveyancing Panel
My fiance and I are FTBs. Within the 48 hours our solicitor has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with a view to exchanging next week. Bradford & Bingley have this afternoon contacted us to advise us that they have now hit a problem as our lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Please explain?
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 property lawyers should contact Bradford & Bingley and see if they can apply for membership of the Bradford & Bingley conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Bradford & Bingley will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the Bradford & Bingley conveyancing panel as you are at liberty to use your preferred lawyers, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
can you help? My lawyer is assuring me that he is legally obliged to order a Local Authority search stemming from the fact that the firm are on the Bradford & Bingley solicitor panel. Do I not have a choice here?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with Bradford & Bingley your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Bradford & Bingley’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Bradford & Bingley. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Bradford & Bingley conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Bradford & Bingley 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 Bradford & Bingley 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 Bradford & Bingley solicitor panel.
I was expecting to move into my first house last Thursday. My solicitor is on the Bradford & Bingley solicitors panel but has changed address in the past couple of months and had not informed Bradford & Bingley of their new address. Bradford & Bingley has locked down the release of mortgage funds as the information from the solicitors isn't correct.
This is as unusual as it is unlucky. 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 Bradford & Bingley branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can assist.
My fiance and I are spending time viewing flats and now considering a potential offer. Is it best to have a conveyancer on ‘stand by’? I intend to finance via a home loan with Bradford & Bingley
It would be sensible to have your start your search soon rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the estate agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Bradford & Bingley , ask your prospective lawyers check they are on the Bradford & Bingley conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
The for formalities of my purchase has taken place with a mortgage from Bradford & Bingley. Conveyancing was a necessary evil but I would like to complain about Bradford & Bingley. How do I make a complaint?
Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the Bradford & Bingley branches or the Customer Care Team at Bradford & Bingley head office. In most cases complaints to Bradford & Bingley are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is resolved you can write to the
Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.
Bradford & Bingley 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 Bradford & Bingley or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Bradford & Bingley will tell you what documents they want. Bradford & Bingley 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. Bradford & Bingley 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.