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April Mortgages Conveyancing Panel: Recently Asked Questions
Do April Mortgages or the CML run professional training seminars for the
April Mortgages approved conveyancing panel in much the same way that the Law Society run cases for CQS firms?
No such training is arranged by the CML but they do host a number of useful legal related conferences which are attended by firms on the April Mortgages conveyancing panel. Lexsure intend to run specific lender focused seminars in the coming months including a webinar on April Mortgages’s Part 2 obligations. Solicitors on the April Mortgages conveyancing panel will be invited. Information about the webinar will be communicated as part of the LENDERmonitor Alerts.
Will the fact that my practice subscribes to Alerts via this site help in my application to join the April Mortgages solicitor panel?
The requirements to join the April Mortgages conveyancing panel is likely to be fairly detailed and is unlikely to include signing up to LENDERmonitor alerts.
Can you suggest any advice if we wish to appeal being removed from the
April Mortgages conveyancing panel?
Should you firm be removed from the
April Mortgages conveyancing panel and you are unaware of or disagree with the reasons for your removal you should: (a) Contact
April Mortgages directly. (b) If there is an appeals process detailed on your letter you should follow the process.
In appealing a decision by April Mortgages, it may be useful to provide the following information:
- Full account of your conveyancing history
- Your COMPLETIONmonitor reports, assuming you use the Lexsure software
- Your recent claims history
- comprehensive details of all employees in your practice and their position.
- Note down if a solicitor has been admitted to the role on completion of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.
- Forward duplicate practising certificates, the firm's current PII schedule and your accountant's certificate, summarising what % of the firm's gross fee income is generated from residential conveyancing transactions
It is encouraging that some solicitors 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. Such an achievement 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 has a healthy attitude towards risk mitigation.
Do you have any idea what Lenders such as
April Mortgages are asking for when it comes to applying to be on their approved conveyancing panel?
Although not necessarily published, lenders have varying criteria .
We do not hold specific requirements relating to the questions raised as part of the application to be on the
April Mortgages conveyancing panel. Typically lenders need to have full knowledge of a firm including (but not limited to):
Areas of Law covered by the firm
Whether the firm is able to operate in other jurisdictions
Automated alerting to inform lenders when there is a fundamental change to the firm (e.g. change of ownership)
top-up split and history of any refusals
Summary of annual accounts
Structure of firm and, where applicable, its group
SRA or equivalent regulator registration number where applicable
purchase and remortgage)
List of fee-earners who are foreign qualified
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.
In carrying out leasehold title investigations do
April Mortgages panel solicitors need to examine whether there is an absentee freeholder?
Given that your firm in is on the
April Mortgages conveyancing panel and you are instructed by 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
April Mortgages are to lend, they may require indemnity insurance. In any event,you will need to check
April Mortgages’s specific requirements. Notwithstanding whether
April Mortgages will lend in such circumstances you still need to advise the borrower (unless you are acting for
April Mortgages alone) as to the risks of buying a property with an insolvent or absentee landlord.
my firm’s membership of the
April Mortgages conveyancing panel was revoked but was reinstated on appeal, do I need to disclose these details on my application for CQS accreditation?
We would recommend that you supply details of the date of removal, information on the reason for
removal, date of appeal and any reason given for reinstatement. This
should not adversely impact your application but gives the Law Society a complete picture of what has occured.
Our practice is on the
April Mortgages
conveyancing panel and due to complete a remortgage shortly. My file does not contain a Mortgage Deed for the client to execute.
Who do I contact at April Mortgages to obtain duplicate documents?
You should communicate with April Mortgages
to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook has an explicit section for lenders to establish who to contact to obtain standard documents.
April Mortgages in their Part 2’s state:
Don’t forget to disclose your April Mortgages conveyancing panel reference.
Find a Lawyer on the April Mortgages Conveyancing Panel
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Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of April Mortgages
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
Other related topics:
- CQS policy templates and procedures for accredited April Mortgages Firms
- Draft Report on Title precedent for April Mortgages borrowers
- Draft Anti Money Laundering PolicyTemplate for April Mortgages panel firms to consider
- Dealing with Lender Policy Template panel for CQS accredited firms on the April Mortgages lender panel
- Buy-to-Let help for April Mortgages
- Consent-to-Let help for April Mortgages
- Contractor Mortgages with April Mortgages
