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approved by Saffron BS
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Saffron BS list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
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How does my firm apply to be on the Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel
Frequently asked questions relating to the Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel
My Conveyancer has never been on on the Saffron Building Society Approved Panel. Can I still use my preferred solicitor notwithstanding that they are not on the Saffron Building Society panel?
The most common options here are as follows:
- Carry on with your existing lawyers but Saffron Building Society will need to instruct a lawyer on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. This will result in additional cost and potential delay.
- Get a new solicitor to act in the purchase, obviously checking they are on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel.
- Urge your lawyer to apply to join the Saffron Building Society lender panel
Please help. My solicitor is informing me me that he is legally obliged to apply for a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. Is this really necessary?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. As you are taking a mortgage with Saffron Building Society your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Saffron Building Society’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Saffron Building Society. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
How up to date is your search tool for the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel? Do Saffron Building Society send you an updated list?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Saffron Building Society directly.
The lawyers that just started acting on my house acquisition in Manchester has without warning closed. I only went with them because I had to have a lawyer on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel and my preferred lawyer was not. I gave them a cheque for £150 in advance. What do I do now?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then inform them straight away so that they can let the sellers know 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 Saffron Building Society 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
When it comes to lenders such as Saffron Building Society do solicitors have to be pay a fee to be on the list of approved solicitors?
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.
We have had an offer accepted on a apartment I spoke to a solicitor previously used by my uncle and he suggested using a property lawyers approved by Saffron Building Society. The estate agent recommended two local firms so I asked Saffron Building Society if the 2 suggested solicitors are approved, which they are not. Saffron Building Society pointed out that either practice can fill out the appropriate forms to become approved. Do I (1) save myself the aggravation and use one of Saffron Building Society 's conveyancing panel solicitors (2) Use the local solicitor and accept there may be delays etc as they go through the approval process.
Ask Saffron Building Society to suggest a law firm in your location. Lenders have them all over the country. You can also use our search tool at the top of this page to search for a lawyer on the Saffron Building Society 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 Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel as it may only take about 2-3 weeks. As long as they meet Saffron Building Society’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.
My offer was accepted on a property on the 7th March 2014, valuation was booked 2 days after, received a clean bill of health. Property lawyer retained, so the only thing outstanding was my mortgage offer. Having made daily calls to Saffron Building Society and chasing them on my offer I have now been told that my offer will not be issued unless the lawyer is on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. Are Saffron Building Society entitled to hold back the Mortgage pending the lawyer being on the approved list?
A lender would not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Saffron Building Society to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.