Find a Law Firm
approved by Whistletree

That would more than likely be a wrong assumption to make. There are all sorts of perfectly reasonable explanations. A recent report by the solicitors regulator indicated 76% of law firms surveyed had been removed from at least one lender panel. The top 3 reasons are as follows: (1) lack of transactions (2) the lawyer is a sole practitioner (3) as part of the HSBC panel reduction (4) regulatory contact by SRA (5) accidental removal. If you are concerned you should simply call the firm and ask them why they are no longer on the approved list for Whistletree.

Just because you have a mortgage offer from Whistletree does not mean to say that the property will be meet their requirements for the purposes of a mortgage. Your lawyer has to ensure that the lease has to comply with the CML Handbook Requirements. You and Whistletree are the client. The appropriate lender requirements must be adhered to by the Whistletree conveyancing panel who has to balance acting for you and Whistletree

The solicitor and licensed conveyancing practices listed on our site have assured us via an online form that they are on the Whistletree panel and agreed to advise us to take down their listing in the event of removal off of the Whistletree panel. To date we have not been informed by either a bank or a member of the public that the data about a specific firm being on the Whistletree conveyancing panel is not accurate.

You can use any solicitor you like but Whistletree then has the right to appoint a different solicitor to act for them at your expense. It might be more cost effective and quicker to instruct a lawyer who is on the Whistletree solicitors panel

Most banks and building societies have complaints procedures. Your first port of call should be one of the Whistletree branches or the Customer Care Team at Whistletree head office. Ordinarily complaints to Whistletree are resolved effectively and efficiently. However if you are not satisfied that the matter is resolved you can write to the Financial Ombudsman Service at South Quay Plaza, 183 Marsh Wall, London E14 9SR who will take matters further.

There is little point in complaining directly to Whistletree. Every solicitor firm and conveyancer must have a complaints procedure. You can get information from the solicitor’s or conveyancer’s website or ask at their office. They must tell you about it if you ask.

The Legal Ombudsman will make sure that your complaint is addressed by the solicitor. It can also advise you how to complain.

If a licensed conveyancer does not have a complaints procedure or will not tell you about it, contact the Council for Licensed Conveyancers (CLC), which will make sure that your complaint is properly dealt with by the conveyancer. Please see below for more information.

Whistletree will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Whistletree will appoint their own surveyor to do this, and you will have to pay for it. Remember that this is a valuation for mortgage purposes and not a survey. You may wish to consider appointing your own surveyor to carry out a survey or prepare a home buyers report on the property. It is up to you to satisfy yourself that the property is structurally sound before you buy it. If the survey or report reveals that building work is needed, you should tell your solicitor. You may wish to renegotiate with the seller. or Your lawyer will not organise the survey but they may be able to put you in touch with a local one that they recommend. RICS offers a find a surveyor service (just google it) where you can search for a qualified surveyor by postcode. As you are getting a mortgage with Whistletree you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.