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Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Rooftop Mortgages 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 Rooftop Mortgages Ltd Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Rooftop Mortgages Ltd Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Rooftop Mortgages Ltd Conveyancing Panel
Frequently asked questions relating to the Rooftop Mortgages Solicitor Panel
My husband and I are purchasing a 2 bedroom apartment in London with a mortgage from Rooftop Mortgages. We like our solicitor but Rooftop Mortgages says she’s not on their "panel". We have to appoint one of the Rooftop Mortgages panel firms or keep our solicitor and pay for one of their panel ones to represent them. This seems very unfair; Can we not simply insist that Rooftop Mortgages use our lawyer?
No, not really. The mortgage offered to you is subject to its terms and conditions, one of which will be that lawyers will on the Rooftop Mortgages conveyancing panel. Until recently, most lenders had large numbers of law firms on their panels: a borrower could choose one for themselves, as long as it was on the lender's panel. The lender would then simply instruct the borrower's lawyers to act for the lender, too. You can use your lender's panel lawyers or you could borrow from another lender which does not restrict your choice. A further alternative is for your solicitors to apply to be on the conveyancing panel for Rooftop Mortgages
Please help. My solicitor is advising me that he has to order a Local Authority search because the firm are on the Rooftop Mortgages conveyancing panel. Is this really necessary?
You have limited options available to you. As you are taking a mortgage with Rooftop Mortgages your lawyer has to comply with their conditions as set out in their version of the CML Conveyancing Handbook. Your lawyer would have previously signed the Terms and Conditions of Rooftop Mortgages’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Rooftop Mortgages. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
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 Rooftop Mortgages solicitor panel?
The Council of Mortgage Lenders or BSA do not require online case tracking. Some law firms operate such technology and some don't.
What happens if my solicitor is expelled from the Rooftop Mortgages Solicitor panel in advance of the moving date as agreed at exchange of contracts?
First, 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 for a fee.
Hi, thinking about buying a house off my mate. Once we agree a price, what’s the best way to proceed? I plan to obtain a mortgage with Rooftop Mortgages. Is it possible to avoid using solicitors to save on the costs? My father said that years ago it was possible to take the documents into the local Land Registry office and they did the rest
If you are getting a mortgage with Rooftop Mortgages involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Rooftop Mortgages conveyancing panel. We would not encourage you to both use the same solicitors' firm. There are clear conflict of interest issues and it's not going to make a huge difference to the speed of the overall process. So as not to hold things us you should pass on your solicitors details to Rooftop Mortgages. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Rooftop Mortgages conveyancing panel.
After much negotiation I have agreed a price on a house. My mortgage broker suggested a solicitor I paid an upfront payment of 225. Soon after the conveyancers contacted me to say that they were not on the Rooftop Mortgages 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 Rooftop Mortgages 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.
At last I have had an offer on an apartment accepted, but there is a chain. The vendors have offered on somewhere, but not been accepted yet, and have viewings of other properties in the pipeline. My conveyancing solicitor has been instructed. What do I do now? When should I get the mortgage app going with Rooftop Mortgages?
It is usual to have concerns where there is a chain as you are unlikely to want to be too out of pocket too early (mortgage application is approx £1k, then survey/valuation, conveyancing search costs, etc). First you should check that your solicitor is on the Rooftop Mortgages conveyancing panel. As to the next stages this very much depends on the circumstances of your case, desire for this property and on the state of the market. In a hot mortgage some buyers would pally for the mortgage with Rooftop Mortgages and pay for the valuation and only if it comes back ok would they pay their solicitor to press on with searches.
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