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approved by MandS

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

Find an Approved Solicitor on the M&S Bank Conveyancing Panel

Frequently asked questions relating to the M&S Bank Conveyancing Panel

For what reasons would a law firm be removed from the M&S Bank solicitor panel?
A survey recently commissioned by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority found that three quarters of solicitor practices had been removed from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
  1. Low volume 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 M&S Bank
I am purchasing a newly built apartment and my conveyancer is informing me that she is duty bound to disclose incentives from the developer as her practice is on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel. I am under pressure to sign contracts and I would rather not prolong the conveyancing. is my lawyer taking the correct approach?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the M&S Bank approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on M&S Bank). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
I am planning to acquire a house and require a conveyancing solicitor in Newcastle who is on the M&S Bank solicitor. Could you point me in the right direction as regards a solicitor?
Our service is a directory service for firms who wish to be listed as being on the approved conveyancing panel for M&S Bank . We don’t recommend any particular firm.
My grandfather passed away last year and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £8000. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to M&S Bank , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this possible?
If you intend to re-mortgage then M&S Bank will insist on your using a conveyancer on the M&S Bank 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 M&S Bank 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 M&S Bank mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel?
A selection of banks and building societies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS membership 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.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from M&S Bank as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel to deal with the paperwork?
M&S Bank do not ordinarily instruct a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the M&S Bank panel
My ex -wife’s name is on the M&S Bank mortgage of my property but not on the land registry. The apartment was transferred to me on our divorce many years ago by way of a sealed court order. Does my ex still have a say on the sale even though the land registry showing the property in my name alone? Will I be required to take her name of the M&S Bank mortgage in order to sell?
As regards the M&S Bank mortgage, it is unusual that your ex-wife’s name remains on the mortgage but not on the title. It is conceivable that this is an oversight on the part of your conveyancers to ensure that her name was removed or even an administrative error on the part of M&S Bank in failing to update their data. In any event, it should cause difficulty providing her name no longer appears on the Land Registry title and you have a court order ordering that the property is transferred to you.