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Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the MandS list of approved solicitors can put your transaction at risk of delay or failure.

Find an Approved Solicitor on the M&S Bank Conveyancing Panel

Common questions asked concerning the M&S Bank Conveyancing Panel

My financial adviser has informed me that I have to pay M&S Bank fees if I use my own solicitor. How efficient are the M&S Bank conveyancing panel solicitors? I dont care which law firm I use provided that they are good and not exorbitantly priced. Are there any M&S Bank conveyancers you'd recommend?
M&S Bank’s conveyancing panel is substantial so your best bet is just to check with the firms you are getting quotes from whether they are on it. You can search by postcode on the search tool on this site to find solicitors that M&S Bank will allow to act for them.
My solicitor has discovered a difference when comparing the information in M&S Bank’s home valuation survey and what is revealed within the title deeds. My solicitor informs me that as he is on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel he must ensure that the bank is happy with this discrepancy and is still content to lend. Is my lawyer’s approach right?
A precondition to being on the M&S Bank approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on M&S Bank) 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.
Are there any apps to help find a local solicitor on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 20 kilometers to meet the conveyancer.
Feel free to make use of the find a conveyancing panel tool 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 M&S Bank solicitor panel.
I am thinking of mortgaging my house does my lawyer need to be on the M&S Bank Conveyancing panel?
There is nothing to stop you using your solicitor but M&S Bank will insist on their interests being represented by a firm on their conveyancing panel. There is greater potential for delays and confusion with two solicitors involved, and it will undoubtedly be more expensive too.
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel?
A selection of lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel membership such as HSBC and Santander. CQS accreditation however is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. That being said,the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a pre-requisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of conveyancing solicitors.
Is it the case that all solicitor firms on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel overseen by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority?
As solicitors, in order to be on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel they would need to be regulated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority. Many lenders do allow licenced conveyancers on their panel in which case such firms would be regulated by the Council of Licensed Conveyancers (CLC).
I recently had an offer accepted on an apartment. My mortgage broker recommended their conveyancers I paid an upfront payment of 175. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me sheepishly admitting that they were not on the M&S Bank conveyancing panel. Am I right in thinking that I should be due a refund?
You should be able to recover this from the law firm if they were not on the M&S Bank panel. They should have asked at the outset which lender you were obtaining a mortgage with. An important lesson to readers of this site is to check that the lawyers are on the appropriate lender panel.