Find a Law Firm
approved by Sainsburys
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Sainsburys list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Find an Approved Solicitor on the Sainsburys Bank Conveyancing Panel
Sainsburys Bank Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers
I am progressing with the sale of my flat and the EA has just texted me to advise that the purchasers are swapping conveyancer. The reason given is that Sainsburys Bank will only engage with solicitors on their approved list. On what basis would a leading lender only engage with specific solicitors?
Mortgage companies 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 Santander, have reviewed and reduced their conveyancing panel– in some cases removing conveyancing firms who have worked with them for decades.
Lenders point to the increase 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.
can you help? My lawyer is informing me me that he is legally obliged to conduct a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Sainsburys Bank approved lawyer panel. Do I not have a choice here?
Unfortunately both you and your lawyer have little choice here. Given that you are taking out a loan with Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Sainsburys Bank. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
I have checked your search tool I can't find the lawyer I was hoping to instruct as being on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel. My lawyer has said that they are on the Sainsburys Bank approved panel. How can I be sure given that they are not listed on your directory?
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 Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank solicitor panel.
I was scheduled to move into my first house yesterday. My solicitor is on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel but has moved offices in the past couple of months and had not informed Sainsburys Bank of their new address. Sainsburys Bank has locked down the release of mortgage funds as the information from the solicitors isn't correct.
This is a rare situation indeed. The majority of lender Terms of Conveyancing Panel Appointment specifically oblige the solicitor to inform the lender of an address change. Your solicitor needs to treat this with the utmost urgency. Do speak with or register your concern with the senior partner (assuming he or she is not your direct lawyer). Most lenders would be reasonable in this situation and expedite the resolution of this issue. It may be prudent to enlist the help of your local Sainsburys Bank branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can assist.
I previously instructed online conveyancers based in Birmingham who are on the Sainsburys Bank solicitor panel. They have just invoiced me a separate fee of £150 for dealing with the Sainsburys Bank mortgage. Is this a supplemental conveyancing fee set by Sainsburys Bank?
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 Sainsburys Bank but by your lawyers. Some firms on the Sainsburys Bank will charge an ‘acting for lender’ fee but plenty of firms include it on their overall fee.
I recently had an offer accepted on a house. My financial adviser pressured me to appoint their lawyers I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Sainsburys Bank 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 Sainsburys Bank 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.
Intending to buy a flat with a mortgage with Sainsburys Bank. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Lender if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel. I wanted to make sure it means there will be no additional fees for dealing with the mortgage.
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 Sainsburys Bank conveyancing panel