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Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the secureTrustBank list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.

Find an Approved Solicitor on the Secure Trust Bank PLC Conveyancing Panel

Examples of recent questions relating to the Secure Trust Bank Conveyancing Panel

Can you please explain the reason why all UK lawyers aren't included on the Secure Trust Bank Solicitor panel?
As unjust as it may seem for Secure Trust Bank to restrict who can act for them from the public’s or solicitor’s point of view, the other side of the coin is that the lenders are becoming ever more anxious and feel the necessary need to protect them from mortgage fraud and other illegal activities. As a result of this concern Secure Trust Bank are limiting their panel of approved conveyancing lawyers to a manageable size. The Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel is not the most exclusive of all lenders
My partner and I are refinancing our maisonette with Secure Trust Bank. We have a son 19 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose anyone over the age of 17 other than ourselves who lives in the flat. The solicitor has now sent a form for our son to sign, giving up any rights in the event that the apartment is forfeited by the lender. I have a couple of concerns (1) Is this form unique to the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 5 years ago (2) Does our son by signing this giving up his rights to inherit the property?
On the face of it your lawyer has done nothing wrong as it is established procedure for any occupier who is aged 17 or over to sign the necessary Consent Form, which is purely to state that any rights he has in the property are postponed and secondary to Secure Trust Bank .This is solely used to protect the Secure Trust Bank if the property were re-possessed so that in such circumstances, your son would be legally obliged to leave.

It does not impact your son’s right to inherit the apartment. Please note that if your son were to inherit and the mortgage in favour of Secure Trust Bank had not been discharged, he would be liable to take over the loan or pay it off, but other than that, there is nothing stopping him from keeping the property in accordance with your will or the rules of intestacy.

Do all the licensed conveyancers and solicitor practices listed on your search have online case tracking as I was under the impression that this was a precondition of being on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel?
No. There is no CML Part 2 or Building Society Association requirement relating to online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
The solicitors that just started acting on my house acquisition in Brighton has suddenly closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a solicitor on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel and my previous lawyer was not. I paid them £200 on account. What are my options?
Assuming that you have an Estate Agent in the equation then let them know straight away so that they advise the vendors that there may be a slight delay due to reasons beyond your control. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Secure Trust Bank 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 may be able to help
Can I register a complaint to Secure Trust Bank about the lawyers being on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel?
Complaining to Secure Trust Bank about their conveyancing panel is unlikely to yield much of a response. Every solicitor firm and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. Usually one can find this information from the solicitor’s or conveyancer’s website or ask at their office. They must tell you about it if you ask.

The Legal Ombudsman will make sure that your complaint is addressed by the solicitor. It can also advise you how to complain.

If a licensed conveyancer does not have a complaints procedure or will not tell you about it, contact the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the conveyancer. Please see below for more information.

Intending to buy a flat with a mortgage with Secure Trust Bank. I have received an online quote from a licensed conveyancer, which states: "There will be no charge for dealing with the Building Society if you are obtaining a mortgage". I take this to mean that there will be no additional fee if the solicitor is on the Secure Trust 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 Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel
Next month my fiance and I are buying a house in Hendon. Conveyancing solicitors in Hendon will soon beinstructed. My friendsuggested that we check that the solicitor in Hendon is on the Secure Trust Bank panel. Is this really necessary?
A limited percentage of Hendon conveyancing firms are on the Secure Trust Bank conveyancing panel. 8 people a month use our search tool to locate a Hendon conveyancing practitioner on the on the Secure Trust Bank panel.