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approved by Ulster Bank

That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The most common reasons for removal are: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for Ulster Bank.

A precondition to being on the Ulster Bank approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook Part 2 obligations (last updated for this lender on Ulster Bank)which states that a local authority search be not more than 6 months old. You should nevertheless ask your lawyer to check whether something called ‘search validation’ indemnity insurance is acceptable to Ulster Bank.

We are a listing service only for law firms wishing to communicate if they are on the Ulster Bank conveyancing panel or other lender panels. We do not charge referral fees to the any conveyancer that you subsequently appoint.

Leaving aside the complexities and merits of DIY conveyancing you will have to appoint a solicitor on the Ulster Bank conveyancing panel to look after their interests. Most people therefore find it easier to let the solicitor act for them and the lender. Furthermore there is minimal cost savings to made in you doing to conveyancing for yourself and another lawyer conducting the conveyancing for the lender. Please feel free to use the search tool to find a lawyer on the Ulster Bank conveyancing panel in your location.

Banks and Building Societies such as Ulster Bank can revoke their mortgage offer although this is unusual. should Ulster Bank withdraw their offer they may or may not inform you or the lawyer as to their reasoning. There are many potential reasons but here are 5 examples:

• Where information comes to Ulster Bank ‘s attention regarding the customers or the security that they were not aware of prior to offer that affects their original decision to lend

• Many mortgage offers have an expiry date. Your lawyer should check this. Ulster Bank may amend or withdraw an offer before the end of its validation period if an offer extension is requested and following a re-evaluation of the property the value of the security is below a level which is acceptable to them.

• If the borrower informs Ulster Bank of a change in the loan amount agreed

• Where to proceed with the Mortgage offer would be unlawful

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

You will need to appoint solicitors independently although you'll need to choose one on the Ulster Bank conveyancing panel. The solicitor represents both you and the Ulster Bank through the process.

Ulster Bank will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Ulster Bank will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Ulster Bank you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.