Find a Lawyer on the RBS First Active Conveyancing Panel

There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor but RBS First Active will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is much more potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.

It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the RBS First Active Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting RBS First Active directly.

You can use any solicitor you like but RBS First Active then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the RBS First Active solicitors panel

The fact that your lawyer is on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel is a help. It would almost certainly delay matters if they were not. However, no conveyancer should guarantee a time-frame for your conveyancing due to third parties outside of our control such as delays caused by lenders,conveyancing search providers or by the other side's solicitors. The time taken is often determined by the number of parties in a chain

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 RBS First Active branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can assist.

If you intend to re-mortgage then RBS First Active will insist on your using a conveyancer on the RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.

No. There is no such tool on the UK Finance or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.

As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the SRA. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).

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 RBS First Active but by your lawyers. Some firms on the RBS First Active will charge an 'acting for lender' fee and others do not.

Many lenders operate a restricted conveyancing panel, while others allow any solicitor to join so long as they meet the lender's criteria. Each lender sets its own requirements. For example, the RBS First Active conveyancing panel requirements differ from those of other lenders.

As you are obtaining a mortgage with RBS First Active your lawyer must to check the RBS First Active conveyancing instructions contained in the Part 2 of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook for RBS First Active. The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to RBS First Active where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. UK Finance are developing guidance for Northern Ireland and Scotland.

If you are getting a mortgage with RBS First Active involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel. We would not encourage you to both use the same solicitors' firm. There are clear conflict of interest issues and it's not going to make a huge difference to the speed of the overall process. So as not to hold things us you should pass on your solicitors details to RBS First Active. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel.

Where information comes to RBS First Active 's attention regarding the customers or the security that they were not aware of prior to offer that affects their original decision to lend

You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the RBS First Active through the process.

Ask RBS First Active for conveyancing panel firms in your area. Lenders have them all over the country. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto RBS First Active conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet RBS First Active's requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.

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 EA. As you are getting a mortgage with RBS First Active, ask your prospective lawyers check they are on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

If you have finished paying off your RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active mortgage from the register. RBS First Active,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 RBS First Active has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and the RBS First Active has instructed the Land Registry to do so The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your RBS First Active mortgage has been paid off.

It is not advisable proceed with a house purchase without a solicitor. The council's solicitor are not acting for you. You need a solicitor for a number reasons. One of which is to verify what plans the Council have for repairs and refurbishment for the next five years. Many leaseholders have been stung for contributions of thousands of pounds. In any event if you are getting a mortgage with RBS First Active you will need to appoint a solicitor on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel.

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the RBS First Active branches or the Customer Services Department at RBS First Active head office. We understand that complaints to RBS First Active are sorted out very quickly. If you feel that the matter is not 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.

As long as the conveyancer is on the RBS First Active panel she or he must comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements for RBS First Active. Unless your lawyer obtains specific confirmation in writing that RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active to contact your lawyer in writing confirming that they will accept the remaining number of years left on the lease.

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the RBS First Active 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.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel

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 RBS First Active to deal with your lawyers application to be on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.

RBS First Active will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.

The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up RBS First Active or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. RBS First Active will tell you what documents they want. RBS First Active 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. RBS First Active 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.

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with RBS First Active and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.

You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the RBS First Active approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on RBS First Active). The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and RBS First Active are the client. A precondition to being on the RBS First Active approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on RBS First Active). The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that RBS First Active can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

A precondition to being on the RBS First Active approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on RBS First Active) which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender's valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

One of the many conditions to being on the RBS First Active approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on RBS First Active)which states that a local authority search be not more than 6 months old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called 'search validation' indemnity insurance is acceptable to RBS First Active.

Your lawyer is obliged to check with RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active if you agree, failing which, your lawyer must cease to continue acting.

Your lawyer being on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform RBS First Active of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyers to disclose the reduction to RBS First Active then they would have to discontinue acting for you and RBS First Active.

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the transaction. Therefore, it will be provided to your son's lawyer who should be on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the valuer when requested.

The Developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it.

The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the RBS First Active conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

The most common options here are as follows:

1. Complete the purchase with your existing solicitors but RBS First Active will need to instruct a lawyer on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel. This will result in additional cost and potential delay.
2. Get a new solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel.
3. Urge your lawyer to apply to join the RBS First Active lender panel

RBS First Active and other lenders normally restrict either the type or the number of conveyancing firms on their panel. A common example of such restriction(s) being that a firm must have two or more partners. In addition to restricting the type of firm, some have decided to limit the number of firms they use to represent them. You should note that RBS First Active have no responsibility for the quality of advice provided by any member of RBS First Active Conveyancer Panel. Mortgage fraud was a key driver in the rationalisation of conveyancing panels a few years ago and whilst there are differing views about the extent of solicitor involvement in some of that fraud. Statistics from the Land Registry reveal that thousands of law firms only carry out one or two conveyances a year. Those supporting conveyancing panel cuts ask why law firms should have the right to be on a Lender panel when clearly, Conveyancing is not their speciality? To put it another way; would you want a conveyancing solicitor to represent you if you were charged with a crime; probably not.

That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for RBS First Active.

RBS First Active's conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

A survey recently commissioned by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority found that three quarters of law firms had been removed from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are:

1. lack of transactions
2. the lawyer is a sole practitioner
3. as part of the HSBC panel reduction
4. regulatory contact by SRA
5. accidental removal. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by RBS First Active

The answer depends on whether you still have confidence in the said solicitors and how long it will take for the firm to be reinstated on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel You may wish to enlist the help of your broker to check with the RBS First Active as to how long they think it will take to get the firm to get back on the panel.

When purchasing a property with the benefit 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 solicitors should contact RBS First Active and see if they can apply for membership of the RBS First Active conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable RBS First Active will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you have another set of people involved.

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.

RBS First Active conveyancing requirements for their panel are no better or no more complicated than most lenders. It is the case now the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook, the "bible" used by solicitors to establish lender requirements, is different for each lender. It is not clear if your lawyer is on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel. If they are not, this does add further risk of delay as RBS First Active will appoint their own solicitors to look after their interest.

Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the RBS First Active solicitor panel.

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.

The law firms listed on our site have advised us that they are on the RBS First Active panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the RBS First Active panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel is incorrect.

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 RBS First Active 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 RBS First Active solicitor panel.

Unfortunately it's not apparent why you need a RBS First Active panel solicitor but in any event, if you can not find one on our search tool you will need to speak directly to RBS First Active to find out which solicitors in RBS First Active 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

The firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the RBS First Active conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from RBS First Active directly.