Find a Law Firm
approved by Kensington Mortgage
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Kensington Mortgage list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.
Looking for information about your firm's panel status?
How does my firm apply to be on the Kensington Mortgage Company Ltd Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Kensington Mortgage Company Ltd Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage Company Ltd Conveyancing Panel
Kensington Mortgage Solicitor Panel Example Support Desk Enquires
Much to my surprise I have been told by my mortgage broker that my property lawyer is not on the Kensington Mortgage Conveyancing panel. What can I do to check?
The first thing you need to do is to contact your lawyer directly. It is reasonable to expect your lawyer to advise you of the situation. If they are not on the panel they may recommend you to a firm that is on the the approved Kensington Mortgage solicitor panel.
My husband and I are refinancing our apartment with Kensington Mortgage. We have a son approaching twenty who lives with us. The solicitor on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel requested us to identify any adults other than ourselves who lives in the flat. 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 two questions (1) Is this document specific to the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel as he never had to sign this form when we bought 5 years ago (2) In signing this form is our son in any way compromising his right 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 Kensington Mortgage .This is solely used to protect the Kensington Mortgage 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 Kensington Mortgage 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 directory have online case tracking as I understood that this was a condition of being on the Kensington Mortgage 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.
Please explain the implications if my solicitor is expelled from the Kensington Mortgage Solicitor panel prior to the completion date?
The first thing to point out is that, this is very unlikely to happen. In most cases even where a law firm is removed off of a panel the lender would allow the completion to go ahead as the lender would appreciate the difficulties that they would place you in if you have ti instruct a new solicitor days before completion. In a worst case scenario where the lender insists that you instruct a new firm then it is possible for a very good lawyer to expedite the conveyancing albeit that you may pay a significant premium for this. The analogous situation is where a buyer instructs a lawyer, exchanges contracts and the law firm is shut down by the regulator such as the SRA. Again, in this situation you can find lawyers who can troubleshoot their way to bring the conveyancing to a satisfactory conclusion - albeit at a cost.
Do the majority of banks operate their own panel of solicitors?
Many lenders do operate a restricted conveyancing panel but a lot of lenders allow any solicitors to join their panel so long as they meet their criteria. Each lender sets their own criteria. For example the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel requirements are different to Kensington Mortgage’s conveyancing panel requirements.
I was told three weeks ago that my mortgage has been agreed
to by Kensington Mortgage. Is it usual for Kensington Mortgage to only issue the offer once my
solicitor is approved on their conveyancing panel?
Mortgage companies tend not to not issue an offer until they have details of a lawyer on their panel. It can take a few weeks for Kensington Mortgage to deal with your lawyers application to be on the Kensington Mortgage conveyancing panel. There's no guarantee that your solicitors will be accepted.
Kensington Mortgage 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 Kensington Mortgage or your broker and complete any relevant paperwork. Kensington Mortgage will tell you what documents they want. Kensington Mortgage 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. Kensington Mortgage 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.
Other Topics
Transfer of Equity for Kensington MortgagePlease note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors