Find a Law Firm
approved by Britannia
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Britannia list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Find an Approved Solicitor on the Britannia Conveyancing Panel
FAQs : The Britannia Conveyancing Panel
I am hoping to receive a mortgage offer from Britannia. I hope to retain the legal services of a Licensed Conveyancer. Does the Britannia Solicitor panel exclude conveyancers regulated by the CLC
Britannia’s approved solicitor list is, like many other lenders represented by the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.
My solicitor is asking me for ID documents asserting that this forms part of his obligations as a solicitor on the Britannia Conveyancing panel. Can you confirm whether this is the case?
Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that Britannia also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with Britannia CML Handbook requirements last updated on Britannia
Do I need to have a meeting at the offices of the Britannia conveyancing panel solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Bristol
so that I can pop in to their offices if necessary.
As opposed to 12 years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Bristol
.
My uncle passed away last year and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a relatively small loan remaining of approximately £5k. I want to transfer the title deeds into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Britannia , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this possible?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Britannia will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Britannia conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Britannia conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Britannia mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
I previously instructed online conveyancers located in Bristol who are on the Britannia solicitor panel. They are now charging me a separate fee of £150 for dealing with the Britannia mortgage. Is this an additional conveyancing fee specified by Britannia?
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 Britannia but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Britannia will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I have instructed a lawyer having made sure that they are on the Britannia conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Or
Having digested plenty of house buying,I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Britannia conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Britannia will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Britannia 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 Britannia you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.
Me and my partner are remortgaging a garden flat in Hendon. Conveyancing solicitors in Hendon need to beretained. My colleagueadvised that we make sure that the solicitor in Hendon is on the Britannia panel. Aren't all lawyers on the Britannia panel?
It is not that case that all Hendon conveyancing firms are on the Britannia conveyancing panel. 8 people a month use our search tool to locate a Hendon conveyancing practitioner on the on the Britannia approved list of lawyers.