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approved by RBS- 1st Active
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the RBS- 1st Active list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
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How does my firm apply to be on the The Royal Bank of Scotland plc First Active Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the The Royal Bank of Scotland plc First Active Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the The Royal Bank of Scotland plc First Active Conveyancing Panel
RBS- First Active Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers
My fiance and I are novices when it comes to buying a property. Within the last couple of days our lawyer has forwarded the sale agreement to sign with a detailed report in anticipation of exchanging contracts shortly. RBS- First Active have this morning contacted us to inform me that they have now hit a problem as our lawyer is not on their approved list of lawyers. 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 Quality Scheme. Your solicitors should contact RBS- First Active and see if they can apply for membership of the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel, but if that is not viable RBS- First Active will instruct their own lawyers to represent them. You don't have to instruct a firm on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel and you may continue to use your own solicitors, in which case your legal fees may increase, and it may delay matters as you are adding another lawyer into the mix.
I am buying a new build duplex and my lawyer is advising me that she is duty bound to disclose incentives from the builder as her firm is on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel. I am on a tight deadline to sign contracts and I dont want to prolong matters. is my lawyer taking the correct approach?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the RBS- First Active approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on RBS- First Active). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
How do I find a local solicitor on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 10 kilometers to meet the solicitor.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this website. Please choose the lender and your location and you will see a number of lawyer located nearest you. Alternatively you can type in the name of your proposed law firm and see if they are listed as being on the RBS- First Active solicitor panel.
I was supposed to complete on my dream home last Friday. My lawyer’s firm is on the RBS- First Active solicitors panel but has changed address 8 weeks ago and had not informed RBS- First Active of their new address. RBS- First Active has locked down the release of mortgage funds until such time as their systems are up to date with the correct details.
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 RBS- First Active branch or your mortgage broker to see if they can help.
Can I be sure that the solicitor on the RBS- First Active 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 recommend that you speak with the lawyer conducting your transaction
Two weeks ago we had a mortgage agreed in principle with RBS- First Active. Solicitors have been appointed? How long does it take for RBS- First Active to send the offer to our conveyancer
Some lenders take longer than others. Have RBS- First Active done the survey? Have you advised RBS- First Active as your lawyers details and checked that your lawyer is on the RBS- First Active conveyancing panel? sometimes it can take as long as six weeks for a mortgage offer to be issued
The mortgage over my property is with RBS- First Active. Conveyancing has been completed months ago. Should I wish to rent out my property and do not currently have a buy-to-let mortgage do I need to remortgage to a BTL mortgage or inform RBS- First Active?
Your original mortgage agreement with RBS- First Active will provide that you need their approval prior to letting out your property as this is likely to be a breach of RBS- First Active’s mortgage conditions. It may be that RBS- First Active will permit you to let 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 RBS- First Active directly. It should not be necessary to do this via a RBS- First Active conveyancing panel lawyer.
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Transfer of Equity for RBS- First ActivePlease note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors