Find a Law Firm
approved by Dudley Building Society
Ready to buy a new home? Failing to check that a lawyer is on the Dudley Building Society 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 Dudley Building Society Conveyancing Panel? How can my firm be reinstated onto the Dudley Building Society Conveyancing Panel?Find an Approved Solicitor on the Dudley Building Society Conveyancing Panel
FAQs for the Dudley Building Society Solicitor Panel
For what reasons would a law firm be excluded from the Dudley Building Society solicitor panel?
According to a recent survey report by the solicitors regulator three quarters of law firms had been excluded from a lender panel. The top reasons in order are :
- lack of transactions
- the lawyer is a sole practitioner
- as part of the HSBC panel reduction
- regulatory contact by SRA
- accidental removal. We are not aware of the specific or common criteria for removal by Dudley Building Society
I am purchasing a new build apartment and my conveyancer is advising me that she has to reveal incentives from the seller as her firm is on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel. I am nearing the developer’s deadline to sign contracts and I have no desire to prolong matters. Is my lawyer right?
You should not exchange unless you have advised to do so by your lawyer. A precondition to being on the Dudley Building Society approved panel is to comply with the CML Handbook requirements (last updated for this lender on Dudley Building Society). The CML Conveyancing Handbook requires that your lawyer have the appropriate Disclosure of Incentive form completed by the developer and accepted by your lender.
What tools are available to search for a local solicitor on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel? I have a car and am prepared to travel up to 10 kilometers to meet the lawyer.
You can use the find a conveyancing panel search on this page. 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 Dudley Building Society solicitor panel.
The firm that I recently instructed on my purchase in London has without warning closed. They were on acting for me because I had to have a solicitor on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel and my previous lawyer was not. I gave them a cheque for £150 in advance. What do I do now?
If you have an estate agent involved then inform them immediately so that they can let the sellers know that there may be a slight delay due to the problems encountered. Most sellers would be sympathetic and urge their lawyer to send a new set of papers to your new solicitors. You should appoint new lawyers that are on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel and notify the lender. If you have paid over any money it will hopefully be held by the SRA as money in an intervened firm's bank accounts is transferred to the SRA. Then, the SRA or the intervention agent looks at the intervened firm's accounts to work out who the money belongs to. To claim your money you will need to contact the SRA. If the SRA cannot return money you are owed from the firm's bank accounts, or if they can only return part of the money, you can apply to the Compensation Fund for a grant. Your new solicitors may be able to help
Is the case that all CQS (Conveyancing Quality Scheme) solicitors on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel?
A selection of lenders now use the accreditation scheme as the starting point for Panel approval such as HSBC and Santander. The Law Society’s CQS membership 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 remain on their panels.
We are getting a further advance on our mortgage from Dudley Building Society as we wish to carry out alterations or improvements our home. Do we need to appoint a solicitor on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel to deal with the legals?
Dudley Building Society would not normally appoint a member of their approved list of lawyers to deal with such a matter. If they did require any legal work then you would need to ensure that such a lawyer was on the Dudley Building Society list
I have instructed a lawyer having made sure that they are on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel. Does my lawyer arrange the survey of the property?
Or
Having digested plenty of mortgage guides,I note that it is considered advisable to get your house surveyed prior to buying it. When I asked my solicitor - who is on the Dudley Building Society conveyancing panel - on this she said they don't do this and I need to contract an independent surveyor. is that correct?
Dudley Building Society will need an independent valuation of the property. Your lawyer will not arrange this. Usually Dudley Building Society 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 Dudley Building Society you could contact your them to see if they have a list of approved surveyors.