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Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Scottish Widows 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 Scottish Widows Bank plc Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Scottish Widows Bank plc Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Scottish Widows Bank plc Conveyancing Panel
Scottish Widows Conveyancing Panel : Questions and Answers
I instructed a law firm to work on my purchase 4 weeks ago having applied for a mortgage with Scottish Widows. The firm assured me that they are on Scottish Widows conveyancing panel and gave me their panel number. Scottish Widows then ,via my broker advised that their panel number was dormant and would need to be reactivated. What happens next? Should I appoint a new solicitor listed on the approved panel for Scottish Widows?
The answer depends on whether you still have confidence in the said solicitors and how long it will take for the firm to be reinstated on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel You may wish to enlist the help of your broker to check with the Scottish Widows as to how long they think it will take to get the firm to get back on the panel.
Please help. My lawyer is informing me me that he is legally obliged to apply for a Local Authority search stemming from the fact that the firm are on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel. Do I not have a choice here?
You have limited options available to you. Given that you are taking out a loan with Scottish Widows 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 Scottish Widows’s conveyancing panel appointment which obliges them to follow the CML Handbook requirements last updated Scottish Widows. even if you were a cash buyer you would be ill advised not to carry out a local authority search.
Do banks and building societies provide you with an approved list of solicitors? How do you know who is on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel?
The law firm practices themselves provide us confirmation that they are on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel as opposed to being supplied with a list from Scottish Widows directly.
My house is up for sale and I have a buyer. Does my solicitor have to be on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel in order to deal with paying off my mortgage?
Ordinarily, even if your lawyer is not on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel they can still act for you on your sale. it might be that the lender will not release the original deeds (if applicable and increasingly irrelevant) until after the mortgage is paid off. You should speak to your lawyer directly before you start the process though to ensure that there is no problem as lenders are changing their requirements fairly frequently at the moment.
I was thinking of purchasing my friend’s property. Assuming we can agree a figure, what’s the best way to move forward? I plan to obtain a mortgage with Scottish Widows. Is there anyway to cut out the solicitors to save on the costs? My dad reckons back in the day he did a lot of it himself, just went into the land registry office and providing them with the info they needed himself
If you are getting a mortgage with Scottish Widows involved you will need to appoint a solicitor on the Scottish Widows 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 Scottish Widows. Feel free to use our search tool to look for a licensed conveyancer or solicitor on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel.
I have paid off my mortgage with Scottish Widows. I assume I don't need a solicitor on the Scottish Widows panel to remove the mortgage at the Land Registry. Please confirm
If you have finished paying off your Scottish Widows mortgage they may send you evidence showing that you have paid it off. Alternatively they may notify the Land Registry directly. The Land Registry need to see this evidence before they will remove the Scottish Widows mortgage from the register. Scottish Widows,and any evidence they send you, will determine the action you need to take. In cases where no conveyancer is acting for you and you have paid off your mortgage:
but are not moving to another property
where the Scottish Widows has sent the Land Registry the discharge electronically, and
the Scottish Widows has instructed the Land Registry to do so
The Land Registry will send you a letter confirming that your Scottish Widows mortgage has been paid off.
I am due to exchange contracts on my house. I had a double glazing fitted in month 2010 but did not receive a FENSA certificate or Building Regulation Certificate. My buyer's lender, Scottish Widows are being a right pain. The solicitor who is on the Scottish Widows conveyancing panel is saying indemnity insurance will be fine but Scottish Widows are insisting on a building regulation certificate. Why do Scottish Widows have a conveyancing panel of they don’t accept advice from them?
It is probably the case that Scottish Widows have referred the matter to their valuer. The reason why Scottish Widows may not want to accept indemnity insurance is because it does not give them any reassurance that the double glazing correctly and safely installed. It merely protects against enforcement action which is very unlikely anyway.
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Transfer of Equity for Scottish WidowsPlease note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors