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Find an Approved Solicitor on the Halifax Conveyancing Panel

Halifax Conveyancing Panel Recently Asked Questions

I have just been informed by my broker that my the law firm I have appointed is not on the Halifax Solicitor panel. How can I be certain that this is indeed the case?
The best course of action for you to take is to contact your lawyer directly. You lawyer should advise you what has happened. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a firm that is on the conveyancing panel for Halifax.
My husband and I intend to remortgage our maisonette with Halifax. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. The solicitor on the Halifax conveyancing panel requested us to identify anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Halifax conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we purchased 3 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Halifax .This is solely used to protect the Halifax if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.

It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Halifax had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

What tools are available to find a local solicitor on the Halifax conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 20 miles to meet the lawyer.
You can use 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 Halifax solicitor panel.
My conveyancers in London have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. To assist with my purchase I took out a mortgage with Halifax. Is it case that being on the Halifax conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a number of years?
Different lenders have different requirements 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 Halifax Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Halifax directly.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the Halifax conveyancing panel?
Some major banks and building societies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their panels.
is it true that all solicitors on the Halifax conveyancing panel overseen by the SRA?
As a firm of solicitors, in order to be on the Halifax 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).
Completion of my remortgage has taken place with a loan from Halifax. Conveyancing was satisfactory but I would like to complain about Halifax. How do I make a complaint?
Almost all lenders have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the Halifax branches or the Customer Care Department at Halifax head office. In most cases complaints to Halifax are sorted out very quickly. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is resolved you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service who will take matters further.