Find a Law Firm
approved by Harpenden BS
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Harpenden BS list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Looking for information about your firm's panel status?
How does my firm apply to be on the Harpenden Building Society Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Harpenden Building Society Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Harpenden Building Society Conveyancing Panel
Harpenden Building Society Solicitor Panel Example Support Desk Enquires
A lawyer I wanted to use for conveyancing on a purchase said she will levy higher legal fees if my mortgage is with Harpenden Building Society because of their unusual legal requirements. Will I regret using Harpenden Building Society? Any comments will be appreciated
Harpenden Building Society conveyancing requirements for their panel are no better or no more complicated than most lenders.
It is the case now the CML 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 Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel. If they are not, this does add further risk of delay as Harpenden Building Society will appoint their own solicitors to look after their interest.
I am buying a newly built duplex and my conveyancer is informing me that she is duty bound to disclose incentives from the developer as her firm is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel. The Estate Agents are hassling me to sign contracts and I dont want to prolong deal. Can I insist on an exchange regardless of what my lawyer says about being on the Harpenden Building Society panel?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Harpenden Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Harpenden Building Society). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
Do all the firms listed on your directory have online case tracking as I was under the impression that this was a precondition of being on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel?
No. There is no CML Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
We're in Wales, FTBs purchasing with a mortgage (lender is Harpenden Building Society , but our solicitor is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Harpenden Building Society 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
My fiance and I are spending time looking at houses and am about to put in an offer. Is it premature to have a solicitor in place? I will be getting a mortgage with Harpenden Building Society
It would be sensible to have your start your search soon rather than later. After you have chosen your lawyer and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the estate agent. As you are getting a mortgage with Harpenden Building Society , ask your prospective lawyers check they are on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.
The mortgage over my property is with Harpenden Building Society. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. If I am intending to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform Harpenden Building Society?
Your original mortgage agreement with Harpenden Building Society will provide that you need their approval prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of Harpenden Building Society’s mortgage conditions. It may be that Harpenden Building Society will allow you to rent out your former home without needing to switch to a buy-to-let mortgage but some lenders will add a surcharge to your mortgage rate to reflect the higher risk. You should contact Harpenden Building Society directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel firm.
I had an offer accepted on a property on the 12th February 2014, valuation was booked 3 days after, all came back fine. Conveyancer appointed, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Harpenden Building Society and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel. Are Harpenden Building Society entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue a mortgage until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Harpenden Building Society to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Harpenden Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.