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approved by RBS - Direct Line

You have a number of options available to you here:

1. Carry on with your preferred solicitors but RBS - Direct Line will need to instruct a lawyer on the RBS - Direct Line 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 RBS - Direct Line conveyancing panel.
3. Urge your lawyer to apply to join the RBS - Direct Line lender panel

The form is intended to provide information to the main parties engaged in the purchase. Therefore, it will be provided to your son’s lawyer who should be on the RBS - Direct Line conveyancing panel as a standard part of the process, and to the surveyor when requested.

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 RBS - Direct Line conveyancing panel solicitor as early as possible, in order to avoid any last minute delays, and no later than at exchange of contracts.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.

If you have an estate agent involved then inform them straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. 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 RBS - Direct Line 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 solicitors should be in a position to assist

No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.

Lenders such as RBS - Direct Line can withdraw their mortgage offer although this rarely happens. If RBS - Direct Line withdraw their offer they may or may not inform you or the lawyer as to their reasoning. There are various possible reasons but here are a few examples:

• If the borrower informs RBS - Direct Line of a change in security address

• Where the purchase price and borrowers direct contribution differ to details on the mortgage application form completed by the borrower

• Where to proceed with the Mortgage offer would be unlawful

• Where the sale is not at arms length for value to unconnected persons

• If the lender reasonably suspects that the applicant, borrower, mortgagor or guarantor is involved in any criminal or fraudulent activity, including trading in illegal drugs or other substances, theft, robbery, deception or other serious offences, or if the applicant borrower, mortgagor or guarantor has a conviction for any serious criminal offence, including theft, deception, fraud, robbery or trade in illegal drugs or other substances;

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 RBS - Direct Line 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 RBS - Direct Line and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.