Find a Lawyer on the Platform Home Loans Ltd Conveyancing Panel

Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool on this page. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the Platform Home Loans solicitor panel.

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.

The law firms listed on our site have advised us that they are on the Platform Home Loans panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Platform Home Loans panel. To date we have not been informed by either a lender or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel is incorrect.

Not all firms are yet listed on our lender panel search tool which is still relatively new. Law firms are listing on a daily basis and it is probably the case that your lawyer is on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing lawyer and you should probably take them at their word. Please do feel free to suggest that they completing their listing on our site as it would only cost them £1 a month to list themselves as being on the Platform Home Loans solicitor panel.

No. There is no UK Finance Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.

The firms themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Platform Home Loans directly.

Anti-terror and anti-money-laundering rules require solicitors and licensed conveyancers to verify the identity of the person or body they are dealing with before they can accept their conveyancing business. The Terms and Conditions that you need to sign will no doubt confirm this. Your lawyer is right that Platform Home Loans also require certain documents to be viewed. If a you refuse to provide ID verification documents, your conveyancer would not be able to accept instructions from you. Your lawyer also has obligations to obtain certain documents in accordance with Platform Home Loans UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements last updated on Platform Home Loans

Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with Platform Home Loans your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Platform Home Loans's conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements last updated Platform Home Loans. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.

You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Platform Home Loans approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Platform Home Loans). The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.

The short answer to your last question is that, notwithstanding the potential for a conflict of interest, you and Platform Home Loans are the client. A precondition to being on the Platform Home Loans approved panel is to comply with the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Platform Home Loans). The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook conditions require your lawyer to disclose issues such as defects will the lease so that Platform Home Loans can be afforded the opportunity to check with their valuer as to the extent that the value of the property is affected. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for you.

Any lawyer on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel would need to check that the following risks are covered fire; lightning; aircraft; explosion; earthquake; storm; flood; escape of water or oil; riot; malicious damage; theft or attempted theft; falling trees and branches and aerials; subsidence; heave;landslip;collision;accidental damage to underground services;professional fees, demolition and site clearance costs; and public liability to anyone else. There are some other issues such as the level of excess that are set out in Platform Home Loans's Part 2 requirements of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook (last updated on Platform Home Loans). Being on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel your lawyer is expect to follow these requirements.

Your lawyer being on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel is duty bound to inform Platform Home Loans of any changes to the purchase price. If you were to refuse your lawyers to disclose the reduction to Platform Home Loans then they would have to discontinue acting for you and Platform Home Loans.

The most common options here are as follows:

1. Complete the purchase with your existing solicitors but Platform Home Loans will need to instruct a lawyer on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel. This will result in additional cost and potential delay.
2. Get a new solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel.
3. Urge your lawyer to apply to join the Platform Home Loans lender panel

The best course of action for you to take is to contact your lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a firm that is on the conveyancing panel for Platform Home Loans.

Lenders have always had panels 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.

Lenders 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.

Platform Home Loans's conveyancing panel is, like many other lenders associated to the Council or Mortgage Lenders or BSA, open to Licensed Conveyancers regulated by the CLC.

A survey recently commissioned by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority found that three quarters of law firms had been removed from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are:

1. lack 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 Platform Home Loans

No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. Another option that might be available is for your lawyer to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Platform Home Loans

Platform Home Loans conveyancing requirements for their panel are no better or no more complicated than most lenders. It is the case now the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' 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 Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel. If they are not, this does add further risk of delay as Platform Home Loans will appoint their own solicitors to look after their interest.

Platform Home Loans's conveyancing panel is pretty large so your best bet is just to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that Platform Home Loans will allow to act for them.

We are not aware of any lender fees to be on their panel although some do charge an administration charge to deal with the processing of the conveyancing panel application.

No. There is no such tool on the UK Finance or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.

There is generally no requirements by lenders for their firms to operate on a no-sale-no-fee basis. There a small number of lenders who operate a very restricted conveyancing panel managed by a third party company (often termed in the industry as a 'gatekeeper'). That third party may impose certain conditions such as non-sale-no fee on the panel firms. If you require this as a condition of your conveyancing then you should check with the conveyancing firm that this is part of their package

Unfortunately, as long as it is in their Terms and Conditions or Quote then yes your solicitors can charge a fee for this. This fee is not set by Platform Home Loans but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Platform Home Loans will charge an 'acting for lender' fee and others do not.

Platform Home Loans will only instruct licensed conveyancers or solicitor firms that are on their conveyancing panel. If you want your solicitor firm to be admitted onto the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel, they must apply to Platform Home Loans directly and meet the lender's panel criteria.

Many lenders operate a restricted conveyancing panel, while others allow any solicitor to join so long as they meet the lender's criteria. Each lender sets its own requirements. For example, the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel requirements differ from those of other lenders.

Platform Home Loans would not normally instruct a member of their conveyancing panel 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 Platform Home Loans list

As you are obtaining a mortgage with Platform Home Loans your lawyer must to check the Platform Home Loans conveyancing instructions contained in the Part 2 of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook for Platform Home Loans. The UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook contains minimum requirements for solar panel roof-space leases, and solicitors are required to report to Platform Home Loans where a lease does not meet these requirements. The requirements relate to the installation of panels on properties in England and Wales. UK Finance are developing guidance for Northern Ireland and Scotland.

If you are getting a mortgage with Platform Home Loans involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Platform Home Loans 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 Platform Home Loans. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel.

It would be sensible to have your start your search soon rather than later. Once you decide who you want to use and once your offer is accepted you can instruct them to work for you and pass their details on the the EA. As you are getting a mortgage with Platform Home Loans, ask your prospective lawyers check they are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel otherwise they can't do the mortgage legal work.

If you have finished paying off your Platform Home Loans mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Platform Home Loans mortgage from the register. Platform Home Loans,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage: but are not moving to another property where the Platform Home Loans has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and the Platform Home Loans has instructed the Land Registry to do so The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Platform Home Loans mortgage has been paid off.

Although you do need to retain the services of a lawyer they dont need to be on the Platform Home Loans panel. You will need a solicitor to draw up the transfer and to deal with the Land Registry formalities. The only thing you need to consider is that by selling at an undervalue so ask your lawyer about the implications. There could be an inheritance tax issue if you die within 7 years of this. There's no capital gains tax for you as it is your main residence.

Platform Home Loans must be informed of your intention before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of Platform Home Loans's mortgage conditions. In many cases banks or building societies 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 Platform Home Loans directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel solicitor.

All banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first point of contact should be one of the Platform Home Loans branches or the Customer Services Department at Platform Home Loans head office. We understand that complaints to Platform Home Loans are sorted out very quickly. If you feel that the matter is not resolved you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR with full details of your complaint.

You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the Platform Home Loans 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.

They are simply saying that the cost for acting for the lender is included in the fee being quoted. It is worth you checking that they are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel

The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Platform Home Loans or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Platform Home Loans will tell you what documents they want. Platform Home Loans will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Platform Home Loans will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it's course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.

It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Platform Home Loans and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.

Not all your area conveyancing firms are on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel. Use the above search tool to locate a your area conveyancing firm on the on the Platform Home Loans panel.

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing you will have to appoint a solicitor on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to made in you doing to conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on the Platform Home Loans conveyancing panel in your location.

First, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.

It very much depends from lender to lender but many of the Terms and Conditions of Conveyancing Panel Appointment require the file to be held for a period of 6 years. That being said we have not seen a copy of the Platform Home Loans Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting Platform Home Loans directly.

The fact that your lawyer is on the Platform Home Loans 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

If you have an estate agent involved then let them know straight away so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Hopefully they will be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You will need to appoint new lawyers that are on the Platform Home Loans 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 may be able to assist

If you intend to re-mortgage then Platform Home Loans will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Platform Home Loans 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 Platform Home Loans 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 Platform Home Loans mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.