Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

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

Looking for information about your firm's panel status?

How does my firm apply to be on the Saffron Building Society Solicitors Panel?

Learn How

How can my firm be reinstated onto the Saffron Building Society Solicitors Panel?

Learn How

Saffron Building Society Conveyancing Panel: Recently Asked Questions

Are Saffron Building Society Conveyancing panel lawyers under an obligation to disclose incentives?

Saffron Building Society’s answer to this question can be found at section 6.4.4 of their CML Part 2 requirements

Saffron Building Society have asked me to represent them alone on a residential conveyancing matter , using the CML Lender’s Handbook. The borrower has his own solicitor (not on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel) How does this work and are there different requirements from Saffron Building Society in this circumstance?

The CML, together with Saffron Building Society and other stakeholders developed a standard set of requirements where a solicitor is acting for a lender such as Saffron Building Society alone in a residential conveyancing matter. These requirements are contained at Part 3 of the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook and are to be followed together with Part I and II. The CML have published an example requirements letter to the borrower’s conveyancing solicitor for use by the lender's conveyancer, and sets out to the borrower's conveyancer, the documentary and information requirements of the lender's panel conveyancer.

Can you suggest any advice if we wish to challenge being removed from the Saffron Building Society approved solicitor list?

If you are removed from the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel and you are unaware of or disagree with the reasons for your removal you should: (a) Contact Saffron Building Society directly. (b) If there is an appeals process detailed on your letter you should follow the process.

In appealing a decision by Saffron Building Society, it may be useful to provide the following information:

Comprehensive disclosure of your firm’s transaction history
Your COMPLETIONmonitor reports, assuming you use the Lexsure software
Your recent claims history
comprehensive details of all staff in your practice and their role.
Note down if a solicitor has been admitted to the role on completion of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.
Supply copy practising certificates, the firm's current PII schedule and the firm’s accountant's certificate, summarising the % of the firm's gross fee income is resulting from residential conveyancing transactions

On appeal some conveyancing firms have been able to regain membership to panels notwithstanding the policy by the respective lenders to refuse panel membership to firms with certain profiles or characteristics. Success is primarily due to the firms’ ability to persuade the lender to make an exception if there is sufficient evidence to reassure them that the firm is well risk-managed.

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

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 Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):

List of all those who can sign off the Certificate Of Title

List of all solicitors within firm

List of all those staff who work within the conveyancing team

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

Whether any lender has ever made a claim against the firm’s PII cover

top-up split and history of any refusals

List of all those who fund the firm, including non-lawyers if applicable

Full disciplinary history for each conveyancing solicitor

Full career history for each solicitor including admission date to the relevant Law Society

Whether the firm has ever knowingly accepted instructions on transactions involving Sale and Rent Back, Back to Back, Exchange and Delayed Completion and Lease Option, Below Market Value.

When in comes to leasehold due diligence do Saffron Building Society panel solicitors need to examine whether there is a missing freeholder?

Given that your practice in is on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel and you are acting for them in relation to a leasehold property, you must report to them if it becomes apparent that the landlord is either absent or insolvent. If Saffron Building Society are to lend, they may require indemnity insurance. In any event,you will need to check Saffron Building Society’s specific requirements. Notwithstanding whether Saffron Building Society will lend in such circumstances you still need to advise the borrower (unless you are acting for Saffron Building Society alone) as to the risks of buying a property with an insolvent or absentee freeholder.

St Giles’ PII renewal form asks if my practice had been removed off any lender panels in the last year. I recently became aware that the practice is no longer on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel? Is this likely to impact my insurance?

The best placed professionals to answer this question are your insurance brokers. 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 Saffron Building Society solicitor panel membership. Please remember that it is always important that you complete your insurance forms accurately.

Our practice is on the Saffron Building Society conveyancing panel and scheduled to complete a purchase shortly. I can not locate a Mortgage Deed for the client to execute. Who do I contact at Saffron Building Society to request substitute deeds?

You need to get in touch with Saffron Building Society to obtain standard documents. The The Council of Mortgage Lenders Handbook includes an explicit question for banks to reveal who to contact to obtain standard documents. Saffron Building Society in their Part 2’s state:

It is likely that you will need to quote the firm’s Saffron Building Society solicitors panel number.

Find a Lawyer on the Saffron Building Society Solicitors Panel

Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Saffron 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

Find solicitors on the Saffron Building Society panel near you:

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