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approved by Kent Reliance

Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Kent Reliance list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.

Find an Approved Solicitor on the Kent Reliance (a trading name of OneSavings Bank plc) Conveyancing Panel

Q and A’s regarding the Kent Reliance Solicitor Panel

I am progressing with the sale of my maisonette and the estate agent has just e-mailed to advise that the purchasers are changing their conveyancer. The excuse is that Kent Reliance will only deal with property lawyers on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a big named lender only deal with certain lawyers?
Mortgage companies have always had panels of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Lloyds Banking Group, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 15 years.

Banks point to the increase in fraud by way of justification for the cull – criteria have been tightened and a smaller panel should be easier to keep an eye on. No lender will say how many solicitors have been dropped, claiming the information is commercially sensitive, but the Law Society says it is hearing daily from firms that have been removed from panels, or have other concerns about them. Some do not even realise they have been dropped until contacted by a borrower who has instructed them as might be the situation in your buyer’s case. Your purchasers are unlikely to have any sway in the decision.

My partner and I are refinancing our flat with Kent Reliance. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. The solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is repossessed. I have two questions (1) Is this form unique to the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel as he did not need to sign this form when we bought 3 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing 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 Kent Reliance .This is solely used to protect the Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance 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.

Do I have to pop into the offices of the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor to sign the mortgage deed? If so, I will choose one who does conveyancing in Liverpool so that I can attend their offices when needed.
As opposed to 15 years ago, most lenders no longer require their conveyancing panel solicitor to witness the borrowers signature. You will still be obliged to provide ID Documents and there are still distinct advantages to using a local solicitor, in your case a conveyancing solicitor in Liverpool .
The solicitors that I recently instructed on my house acquisition in Brighton has without warning shut down. I chose them because I needed a firm on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel and my previous lawyer was not. I gave them a cheque for £150 in advance. What should be my next steps?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new lawyers should be in a position to assist
In what circumstances might Kent Reliance amend or withdraw their mortgage offer?
Lenders such as Kent Reliance can revoke their mortgage offer although this is unusual. should Kent Reliance withdraw their offer they may or may not inform you or the lawyer as to their reasoning. There are many potential reasons but here are 5 examples:
  • If the financial circumstances of the borrower have changed to the detriment and the Kent Reliance has been notified
  • A cashback to the buyer, or | part of the price includes a non-cash incentive to the buyer (eg paid stamp duty land tax),or | any indirect incentive (cash or non cash) or rental guarantee, of which the lender was previously unaware
  • Where the purchase price and borrowers direct contribution differ to details on the mortgage application form completed by the borrower
  • Where the sale is not at arms length for value to unconnected persons
  • If the lender reasonably believe that the applicant, borrower, mortgagor or guarantor is insolvent or is about to become insolvent or has or will have a petition presented or if any one or all enter into any arrangement with their creditors generally or if any one or all should suffer a material change in their financial circumstances
I have decided to exercise my right to buy my property off the council. I have a mortgage offer with Kent Reliance. Conveyancing is new to me. Can I proceed without a solicitor easily? I think we can but we keep being told I should have one. Any advice?
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 Kent Reliance you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their lawyers I paid an upfront payment of 200. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance 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.