Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

The information on this page is designed to keep solicitors and licensed conveyancers abreast of latest requirements changes by Ecology Building Society and to assist in remaining on the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel.

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Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel: Recently Asked Questions

An established client of mine is buying a detached house for £825k in Leeds with a mortgage over GBP 500k. I am on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel but do Ecology Building Society have a separate approved panel when the advance is above 400,000?

We only know of two or three lenders that operate a separate conveyancing panel where the mortgage advance is over a certain amount. You should nevertheless check directly with Ecology Building Society. At one stage HSBC would only allow Sole practitioners to act for them where the mortgage was below £150,000. We are not sure if HSBC still operate such a condition. In your case it is best to check with Ecology Building Society

Do you have any idea what Lenders such as Ecology Building Society are asking for when it comes to applying to be on their approved solicitor list?

Each lender has different criteria. We do not hold specific requirements relating to the questions raised as part of the application to be on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):

Full complaints history for each licensed conveyancer

conveyancer client account(s) details

Full disciplinary history for each conveyancing solicitor

Number of lender conveyancing panels the firm is currently on

Areas of Law covered by the firm

Structure of firm and, where applicable, its group

Whether the firm has ever applied for accreditation and the outcome of the application

Automated alerting to inform lenders when there is a fundamental change to the firm (e.g. change of management)

Number of partners per branch of the firm

Details of any accreditation e.g. Lexcel or

It is possible that Ecology Building Society could request or audit my files as I am on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel. What do I do if I receive such a request?

We can't comment specifically on Ecology Building Society. Many major lenders are now introducing ‘file auditing’ as standard practice in relation to completed matters. This raises questions of confidentiality in relation to the buyer client and the purpose to which the results of such audits will be put. The starting point is to remember that the file does not belong to your firm, it belongs to the ‘client’. But, of course, we will normally have two clients – the buyer and the lender - and you will owe a duty of confidentiality to each. So basically, you have to separate the file and just send the lender the parts solely relating to themselves. But, of course, as this will basically be correspondence with the lender, mortgage instructions etc.

Check with your COLP but a firm should not send the complete conveyancing file without the buyer client’s express consent – and if she is in dispute with the lender he is hardly likely to agree. However, if the lender can establish a prima facie case of fraud, then you may be under an obligation to disclose the whole file.

The emerging convention is that lenders are including an authority to disclose in loan application forms to counter this problem. Mortgage Express v Sawali, [2010] EWHC 3054 (Ch) indicates that such provisions are valid. Please click here for more information about that case.

I recently attended a seminar arranged via my PI broker where it was mentioned that solicitors are being sued for non-compliance with CML PII obligations . I am on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel can you tell me how Part 2 changes took place by Ecology Building Society during 2013?

During 2013, 64 sections of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook P2 were changed by Ecology Building Society. Some changes are more important than others but as a firm on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel you are of course obliged to comply with individual lender requirements, as set out in Part II of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook. Locktons have recently pointed out in an article that non-compliance with Part 2 requirements account for a number of high value claims, and it is therefore important to be aware of any particularly onerous terms that an individual lender may impose.

Remember: CML requirements are not guidelines; they are the lender client’s instructions.

My post-completion clerk has resigned on short notice. I urgently need to prioritise making sure that charges are registered. That said, how quickly do I need to send deeds to Ecology Building Society once the charge is registered before my firm runs the risk of being suspended off the conveyancing panel for Ecology Building Society?

Ecology Building Society will likely expect the deeds to be sent to them within 10 days of you receiving the TID (unless their specific P2 requirements specifically state that they you are not to send them anything). Most COTs refer to complying with the Certificate of Title referred to in IB (3.7) of the SRA Code of Conduct 2011, published by the Law Society which states that you ‘will despatch to you such deeds and documents relating to the Property as you require with a list of them in the form prescribed by you within ten working days of receipt by us of the title information document from the Land Registry’ As to whether the lender will suspend your panel status this very much varies according to the lender’s own internal policies The more cases you have the more risk you face. Some lenders may take action if there records show that the deeds are outstanding for more than 3 matters. The fact is that if you keep within the time frame then you will have more chance of remaining on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel.

Our firm had their Ecology Building Society panel membership suspended but we have not yet been given a reason as to why. I am completing a CQS application form what details should I disclose?

In this situation please explain on the form what steps you have taken to discover the reasons behind cancellation of your Ecology Building Society panel status. In particular please provide details if you have received communications from the lender. E.G. before revocation of your panel membership did you receive any letters or calls from the lender putting you on notice?

Our practice is on the Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel and all set to complete a purchase within the next few weeks. I can not locate a Legal Charge for the client to execute. Who do I contact at Ecology Building Society to obtain duplicate documents?

You need to contact Ecology Building Society to obtain standard documents. The The Council of Mortgage Lenders Handbook incorporates an explicit question for lenders to cite who to contact to obtain standard documents. Ecology Building Society in their Part 2’s state:

You will need to quote your Ecology Building Society conveyancing panel reference.

Find a Lawyer on the Ecology Building Society Conveyancing Panel

Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Ecology Building Society

This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.

Year	Days*
2025	[no data]
2024	[no data]
2023	[no data]
2022	[no data]
2021	[no data]
2020	[no data]

* Data aggregated from sources including COMPLETIONmonitor

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Please note that Lexsure Ltd is in no way associated with nor affiliated with Lexsure Solicitors