Yorkshire Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

The Council of Mortgage Lenders is not a regulator and therefore will not advise on complaints against lenders. You can of course contact Lexsure to see if we can assist.

Yorkshire Building Society make no specific obligation to carry out any of the searches listed. The UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook simply states that ‘you must ensure that any other searches which may be appropriate to the particular property, taking into account its locality and other features are carried out’.

Please note that most ‘less usual searches’ (as described in the Law Society’s Conveyancing Handbook) are not optional as far as Yorkshire Building Society are concerned if they are ‘appropriate’. Most lenders will not require environmental searches (you should Check Part 2 of UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook to be sure), but you are obliged to explain risks and availability to the borrower.

Ground stability, Plansearch,flood searches as well as the searches listed in the question are optional – but only to the extent that you have allowed the borrower client to make an informed choice. Regardless of whether there is a mortgage, If you have not advised the client that these (and other) searches are available and what risks they cover, then you will be liable if the client suffers loss through not conducting one. Is this covered within your Terms of Engagement or Report on Title?

One search provider lists over 70 conveyancing searches – do you know what all of them are and when they may be relevant? If you are unsure as to which searches are appropriate based on location call your search provider or call one of the leading search companies such as STL.

Lexsure only know of two or three banks that operate a separate conveyancing panel where the mortgage advance is over a certain amount. You should nevertheless check directly with Yorkshire 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 Yorkshire Building Society

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

• Number of conveyancing cases by lender
• Analysis as to the nature of clients (e.g.existing/new/seen in person)
• Buy to Let transactions
• Evidence of undertaking logs
• Average time frame to send deeds to the lender (calculated from completion date or title registration)

Your insurance brokers are your best port of call to address this question. The chances are that on the basis that you have not been removed for fraud or negligence reasons that there will be little or no impact. The main reason why a firm would be removed off of a lender panel is due to low volume of conveyancing cases although there may be a number of criteria for Yorkshire Building Society solicitor panel membership. Please remember that it is always important that you complete your insurance forms accurately.

You need to get in touch with Yorkshire Building Society to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook has an express section for lenders to set out who to contact to obtain standard documents. Yorkshire Building Society in their Part 2’s state: Always remember to quote the firm’s Yorkshire Building Society solicitors panel number.