Find an Approved Solicitor on the Kent Reliance (a trading name of OneSavings Bank plc)
Conveyancing Panel
FAQs : The Kent Reliance Solicitor Panel
I am progressing with the sale of my maisonette and the EA has just called to advise that the purchasers are swapping property lawyer. The excuse is that Kent Reliance will only engage with solicitors on their conveyancing panel. On what basis would a leading lender only engage with certain solicitors?
Lenders have always had an approved set of law firms they are willing to work with, but in the past few years big names such as Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for more than 25 years.
Banks blame a rise 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 being contacted daily by practices 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 wife and I are refinancing our penthouse with Kent Reliance. We have a son 19 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who reside at the property. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the property is repossessed. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this document specific to the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we bought 4 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.
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Newcastle on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. Can you recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for Kent Reliance ?
We are not in the business of recommending one firm above another as the right firm for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with local knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. We recommend that you speak to 3 or 4 lawyers listed before you make your choice..
We're in Wales, FTBs buying with a mortgage (lender is Kent Reliance , but our solicitor is on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel). How long should the conveyancing process take?
The fact that your lawyer is on the Kent Reliance 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
I was thinking of purchasing my friend’s property. Assuming we can agree a figure, what’s the best way to proceed? I hope to get a mortgage with Kent Reliance. Is it possible to avoid using solicitors to save us both money? My father said that years ago it was possible to take the documents into the local Land Registry office and they did the rest
If you are getting a mortgage with Kent Reliance involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Kent Reliance 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 Kent Reliance. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel.
I am about to exchange contracts on a purchase with a mortgage from Kent Reliance. The report from my solicitor mentions that Kent Reliance could withdraw their offer before completion. Is this right?
Banks and Building Societies such as Kent Reliance can revoke their mortgage offer although this rarely happens. If 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 a few examples:
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Kent Reliance may amend or withdraw an offer if the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitor is unable to confirm compliance with any of the conditions of the mortgage offer or if any of the terms of the mortgage offer cannot be satisfied
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Amendments if purchase price adjusted and the loan to value limits exceeded by this. Please note that Kent Reliance conveyancing panel solicitors would be obliged to notify Kent Reliance of a change in the price of the property.
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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
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Where the purchase price and borrowers direct contribution differ to details on the mortgage application form completed by the borrower
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Where the Lender’s right to possession is fettered in some way
I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed
to by Kent Reliance. Is it usual for Kent Reliance to only issue the offer once my
solicitor is approved on their conveyancing panel?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kent Reliance to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Kent Reliance conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.