Hodge Conveyancing Panel Information

Criteria differ from lender to lender. We do not hold specific requirements relating to the questions raised as part of the application to be on the Hodge conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):

House price discrepancies (declared to lender vs. registered at Land Registry)

Areas of Law covered by the firm

Solicitor

List of fee-earners who are foreign qualified

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

Firm name, address and contact details including all branches (including evidence of existence through risk-based physical visits and Google Streetview checks)

Full complaints history for each licensed conveyancer

Charge registration history

Full disciplinary history for each conveyancing solicitor

Full career history for each licensed conveyancer including registration date with Council of Licensed Conveyancers

There are many reports available, five of which are as follows:

• Current and historic missed priority dates
• Number of conveyancing cases by lender
• The percentage of the firm’s business which is conveyancing (broken down into sale/purchase and remortgage)
• Evidence of undertaking logs
• Buy to Let transactions

The majority of lenders do not operate a specific buy to let conveyancing panel but we are hearing about a few that do. We do not know what the position is with Hodge as at todays date. If you're about to receive instructions from a client on a buy to let purchase with a mortgage from Hodge we suggest that you call Hodge to check the position.

During 2013, 0 sections of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook P2 were changed by Hodge. Some changes are more important than others but as a firm on the Hodge 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.

In this situation please clarify on the application what steps you have taken to discover the reasons behind cancellation of your Hodge panel membership. 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 informing you as to why they reached this decision?

You need to contact Hodge to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook has an explicit question for lenders to cite who to contact to obtain standard documents. Hodge in their Part 2’s state: Don’t forget to disclose the firm’s Hodge solicitors panel reference.