Find an Approved Solicitor on the St James Place Bank
Conveyancing Panel
Examples of recent questions relating to the St James Place Conveyancing Panel
My fiance and I are FTBs. Within the 48 hours our property lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. St James Place have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our conveyancer is not on their approved list of lawyers. Is this a problem?
When purchasing a property with the benefit of a mortgage it is usual for the purchaser's solicitors to also act for the purchaser's lender.
In order to act for a bank or building society a law firm has to be on that lender's conveyancing panel. An application has to be made by the law firm to the lender to become a member of the lender's panel and there are increasingly strict criteria which the firm has to satisfy and indeed some lenders now require their panel members to be part of the Law Society’s Conveyancing Quality Scheme.
Your solicitors should contact St James Place and see if they can apply for membership of the St James Place conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable St James Place will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You are not legally obliged to appoint a law firm on the St James Place conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case it will likely add costs, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
My conveyancer has identified an inconsistency when comparing the surveyor’s assumptions in St James Place’s home valuation report and what is revealed within the title deeds. My solicitor says that as he is on the St James Place conveyancing panel he is obliged to ensure that the bank is happy with this discrepancy and is content go ahead. Is my solicitor’s approach appropriate?
A precondition to being on the St James Place approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on St James Place) which do require that your lawyer disclose any incorrect assumptions in the lender’s valuation report and the legal papers. Should you refuse to allow your lawyer to make the appropriate notification then your lawyer will have no choice but to discontinue acting for both parties.
Your search tool is useful but there are many lawyers listed near Manchester on the St James Place conveyancing panel. It would be a lot more helpful if you could recommend a specific firm on the conveyancing panel for St James Place ?
We are not in the business of recommending one firm above another as the right firm for you depends on where your priorities lie. For example you may require a local firm with local knowledge or you might be looking for the low cost conveyancing. Before you appoint your lawyer we advise you to speak to two or three of the firms listed to gain comfort as to which one is right for you..
My conveyancers in Newcastle have advised me that no longer have my conveyancing file. At the time of my purchase I took out a mortgage with St James Place. Is it case that being on the St James Place conveyancing panel they need to have retained the file for a prescribed period?
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 St James Place Conveyancing Panel Terms. It might be worth you contacting St James Place directly.
I have a mortgage with St James Place. Conveyancing was finalised some time ago. In the event that I decide to rent out the flat and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform St James Place?
St James Place must be informed of your intention before renting your property as this is likely to be a breach of St James Place’s mortgage conditions. It may be that St James Place 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 St James Place directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a St James Place conveyancing panel solicitor.
I have not been happy with the level or service received from my lawyer. Is there a St James Place conveyancing panel complaints department or do I complain directly to the law firm?
There is little point in complaining directly to St James Place. All solicitors 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 house with a mortgage with St James Place. 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 St James Place 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 St James Place conveyancing panel