Find an Approved Solicitor on the Ahli United Bank (UK) plc
Conveyancing Panel
FAQs : The Ahli United Bank Solicitor Panel
My partner and I are novices when it comes to buying a property. Within the 48 hours our lawyer has sent a preliminary report and documents to look through with the expectation that exchange is imminent. Ahli United Bank have this evening contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our lawyer is not on their conveyancing panel. What do we do from here?
If you are buying a property with the assistance 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 Accreditation Scheme.
Your property lawyers should contact Ahli United Bank and see if they can apply for membership of the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable Ahli United Bank will instruct their own solicitors to act. You don't have to instruct a firm on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it will likely delay the transaction as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
My wife and I are refinancing our apartment with Ahli United Bank. We have a son 19 who lives with us. The solicitor on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel has asked us to disclose any adults other than ourselves who reside at the property. Our lawyer has now e-mailed a document for our son to sign, waiving any legal rights in the event that the flat is repossessed. I have a couple of questions (1) Is this form unique to the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we remortgaged 5 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right to inherit the property?
First, rest assured that your Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel solicitor is doing the right thing 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 Ahli United Bank .This is solely used to protect the Ahli United 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 Ahli United 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 lenders provide you with an approved list of solicitors? How do you know who is on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Ahli United Bank directly.
My grandmother passed away last year and as sole heir and executor was left the property. The house had a small mortgage left on it of around £5k. I want to have the title changed into my name whilst I re-mortgage to Ahli United Bank , pay off the mortgage etc. Is this possible?
If you intend to re-mortgage then Ahli United Bank will insist on your using a conveyancer on the Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel. Here is link to the Land Registry online guidance around what to do when a property owner dies. This will help you to understand the registration process behind changing the details re the registered title. in your case it would appear that you are effectively purchasing the property from the estate. Your Ahli United Bank conveyancing panel solicitor pays the new mortgage money into the estate, the estate pays off the old mortgage, the charge is released and you become the owner and the Ahli United Bank mortgage is registered as a charge at the Land Registry.
Can you point me to a directory of Ahli United Bank panel solicitors on the CML Handbook Website?
No. There is no such tool on the Council of Mortgage Lenders or Building Society Association websites. Very few lenders make their panel listings available online.
How can we tell if a solicitor on the Ahli United Bank panel is any good?
seeking recommendations is a sensible start. Before you go ahead check if they offer a no sale no fee offer. Also you often get what you pay for - a firm which quotes more will often provide a better service than one which is cheap as chips. We would always advocate that you speak with the solicitor handling your conveyancing
Ahli United Bank have agreed my mortgage in principle, my offer on house has been accepted, now what?
The estate agent will want to know who your solicitors are (make sure these solicitors are on the lenders panel). Call up Ahli United Bank or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Ahli United Bank will tell you what documents they want. Ahli United Bank will instruct a valuer. The valuer will get in touch with the estate agent or seller to book an appointment. Once conducted (assuming no problems) it takes about week to get a mortgage offer. Ahli United Bank will issue the offer to you and your lawyer. The transaction will then take it’s course according the nature and complexity of the conveyancing.