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approved by Cumberland BS
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Cumberland BS 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 Cumberland Building Society Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Cumberland Building Society Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Cumberland Building Society Conveyancing Panel
Examples of recent questions relating to the Cumberland Building Society Conveyancing Panel
For what reasons would a firm of solicitors be removed from the Cumberland Building Society solicitor panel?
A survey recently commissioned by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority found that three quarters of solicitor practices had been excluded from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
- Low volume of transactions
- the lawyer is a sole practitioner
- as part of the HSBC panel reduction
- regulatory contact by SRA
- accidental removal. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by Cumberland Building Society
We are getting closer to 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 make a notification to my lender Cumberland Building Society. I am advised that, being on the Cumberland Building Society conveyancing panel and acting on their behalf he must inform Cumberland Building Society if the balance of the mortgage advance is coming from anyone other than me. I advised the bank about my parent’s contribution when I applied for the mortgage so is it really necessary for him to raise this?
Your lawyer is obliged to check with Cumberland Building Society 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 Cumberland Building Society if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.
I require the services of a Cumberland Building Society panel solicitor in Belfast. Can you assist?
Unfortunately it’s not apparent why you need a Cumberland Building Society panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to Cumberland Building Society to find out which solicitors in Cumberland Building Society are on their panel. If you do find such a firm not listed please direct them to our site to list. After all the cost is only one £1 a month
Please explain the implications if my lawyer’s firm is expelled from the Cumberland Building Society Solicitor panel prior to completion?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. 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 it the case that all conveyancing solicitors on the Cumberland Building Society conveyancing panel work on a no sale no fee basis?
There is generally no requirements by lenders for their firms to operate on a no-sale-no-fee basis. There a small number of lenders who operate a very restricted conveyancing panel managed by a third party company (often termed in the industry as a ‘gatekeeper’). That third party may impose certain conditions such as non-sale-no fee on the panel firms. If you require this as a condition of your conveyancing then you should check with the conveyancing firm that this is part of their package
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a Cumberland Building Society conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
Complaining to Cumberland Building Society about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. All solicitors and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. Usually one can find this 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 addressed 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.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Cumberland Building Society conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Cumberland Building Society panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.