Find a Law Firm
approved by New Life Mortgages
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the New Life Mortgages list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Find an Approved Solicitor on the New Life Mortgages Ltd Conveyancing Panel
New Life Mortgages Solicitor Panel Sample Enquires to our Call Center
I am progressing with the sale of my flat and the EA has just telephoned to say that the buyers are changing their conveyancer. The reason given is that New Life Mortgages will only deal with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a major mortgage company only deal 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 HSBC, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Banks blame a rise in fraud as the reason 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.
Our son is in the process of securing a newly built flat with a mortgage from New Life Mortgages. His lawyer has advised him of a delay in completing the ‘Disclosure of Incentive Form’. What is this document - I have never come across this before?
The form is intended to provide information to the main parties involved in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when asked.
The Developer will be required to start the process by downloading the form and completing it.
The form will therefore need to be available for the valuer at the time of his or her site visit. The form should be sent to the New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.
I have been looking for competitive conveyancing fees. Can I be confident that all the firms that are identified on your website are on the New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel?
The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices on our directory have advised us that they are on the New Life Mortgages panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the New Life Mortgages panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel is incorrect.
I would like to get my ex-wife removed the mortgage deeds. Can New Life Mortgages really tell me which solicitor I can or can not instruct?
You can use any solicitor you like but New Life Mortgages then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the New Life Mortgages solicitors panel
We have a mortgage agreed in principle with New Life Mortgages. Solicitors have been chosen? How long does it take for New Life Mortgages to send the offer to our conveyancer
Some lenders take longer than others. Have New Life Mortgages done the valuation? Have you advised New Life Mortgages as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel? sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued
We have agreed a price on a apartment I spoke to a solicitor previously used by my brother and he recommended retaining a solicitor approved by New Life Mortgages. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked New Life Mortgages if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. New Life Mortgages pointed out that either firm can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of New Life Mortgages 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Enquire of New Life Mortgages to suggest a law firm in your location. Most banks have lawyers on their panel throughout the UK. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel based on location. If you particularly like the sound of one of the local lawyers that you have spoken to ask them if they would go onto New Life Mortgages conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet New Life Mortgages’s requirements it can be a very simple job for the solicitor. Other stuff will be going on in parallel (as you are at an early stage) so it may not delay matters.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 150. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the New Life Mortgages 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 New Life Mortgages 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.