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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.
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How does my firm apply to be on the Britannia Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Britannia Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Britannia Conveyancing Panel
Common questions asked concerning the Britannia Conveyancing Panel
Is there a reason why all UK lawyers aren't included on the Britannia Solicitor panel?
As unjust as it may seem for Britannia to restrict who can act for them from the public’s or solicitor’s point of view, the other side of the coin is that the lenders are becoming ever more anxious and feel the necessary need to protect them from mortgage fraud and other illegal activities. As a result of this concern Britannia have restricted their conveyancing panel to a size that they are happy to control. The Britannia conveyancing panel is not the most exclusive of all lenders
Can you clarify something for me?. For no fault of my lawyer but, the conveyancing for my house purchase has been going on for months. The Local Authority Search from Britannia was issued random date and we have agreed a date for me to move into the property on 6. My solicitor has advised that as she is on the Britannia conveyancing panel she needs to reorder the searches as they are no longer acceptable to the lender.
One of the many conditions to being on the Britannia approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 obligations (last updated for this lender on Britannia)which specifies that a local authority search be not more than half a year old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Britannia.
Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your directory have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Britannia 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.
I am selling my house. Does my solicitor have to be on the Britannia conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Britannia conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
It is not clear whether my mortgage offer obliges me to make sure the lease term for the flat is extended prior to the completion date . I have called Britannia on various occasions and was told they are content with the situation and they would lend. My solicitor - who is on the Britannia conveyancing panel- telephoned and was told not they would not lend in accordance with their CML Handbook minimum lease term requirements. Who do I believe?
As long as the conveyancer is on the Britannia panel she or he must comply with the CML Handbook requirements for Britannia. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that Britannia 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 Britannia to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.
I had an offer accepted on a property on the 17th March 2014, valuation was booked 2 days after, all came back fine. Solicitor instructed, so all that was missing was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Britannia and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Britannia conveyancing panel. Are Britannia entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Britannia to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Britannia conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.
My ex -wife’s name is on the Britannia mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the Britannia mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the Britannia mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of Britannia in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.
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Transfer of Equity for BritanniaPlease note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors