Newbury Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

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

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Newbury Building Society Conveyancing Panel Assistance:

What are the Newbury Building Society conveyancing panel arrangements?

Unlike the CML the Building Society Mortgage Instructions deal with this. Section A.12 states ‘In order to act on our behalf your firm or company must be a member of our conveyancing panel provided we are a society that operates one – see specific requirements for details of our arrangements. The Special Requirements state:

The Society operates a panel of conveyancers. Acceptance to the panel is subject to application and the following requirements:

• Firm must have at least four qualifying partners.

• Current registration with SRA / CLC.

• Professional Indemnity Insurance with minimum £2m cover.

• For solicitors, CQS accreditation

• All firms must have been practicing for a minimum of 5 years.

Firms that are set up as Alternative Business Structures are accepted if the underlying legal practice has been in existence at least 5 years and meets the above requirements.

Conveyancers that are not on the panel will be invited on receipt of a mortgage application where the client proposes them to act.

For commercial applications the lender will instruct their own solicitor (separate legal representation).

Contact Newbury Building Society’s Mortgage Underwriting Team 01635 555700, for an application.

You must also comply with the terms and conditions of your Newbury Building Society solicitor panel appointment.

Can my practice submit a complaint to the BSA about being removed excluded suspended from the Newbury Building Society conveyancing panel?

The BSA is not a regulator and therefore do not advise on grievances against lenders. You can of course contact Lexsure to see if we can help.

Do Newbury Building Society or the Building Society Association run training seminars for the Newbury Building Society approved conveyancing panel in much the same way that the Law Society run cases for CQS accedited practices?

This not something that the BSA would traditionally get involved with but they do arrange a number of useful legal related conferences which are attended by firms on the Newbury Building Society conveyancing panel. We do intend to run specific lender focused seminars in the coming months including a webinar on Newbury Building Society’s obligations . Solicitors on the Newbury Building Society conveyancing panel will be invited . Information about the webinar will be communicated as part of the LENDERmonitor Alerts .

Are the BSA planning on creating a searchable register to list solicitors on the Newbury Building Society conveyancing panel ?

We have not been informed any intention on the part of the BSA to develop such a search facility .

What obligations do I have, being on the Newbury Building Society conveyancing panel, to carry out an Lender Policy search?

Newbury Building Society make no specific obligation to carry out any of the searches listed. The BSA Mortgage Instructions 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’.

Remember that most ‘less usual searches’ (as described in the Law Society’s Conveyancing Handbook) are not optional as far as Newbury Building Society are concerned if they are ‘appropriate’. Most lenders will not require environmental searches (you should Check the Newbury Building Society Specific Requirements of BSA Handbook to be sure), but you are obliged to explain risks and availability to the client.

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.

A recent SRA survey reveals that three quarters of solicitors have been removed or threatened with removal from a lender conveyancing panel. Newbury Building Society and other building societies have restricted their panel over the years. Why?

The feeling from lenders generally (we can not speak for Newbury Building Society specifically), is that for too long solicitors have concentrated on their duty of care to their purchasing client, and have paid scant attention to the duty they owe to the lender, whom they conveniently forget is also their client.

Looking from the lenders’ perspective, it has to be said that there are pressures to encourage smaller panels. The Financial Services Authority regards the open panel system as a major contributor to mortgage fraud and negligence cases, and has been leaning on lenders to move to proactive panel management, which is more expensive the larger the panel. Hence it is becoming more common for lenders to charge fees, and/or require extensive form-filling, from would-be panel members

Newbury Building Society and other BSA lenders are in varying stages of reviewing their approach to vetting firms on their conveyancing panels, to ensure their ongoing exposure to unsuitable firms is reduced.

The CML Handbook includes instructions for a roof with a solar panel. Newbury Building Society do not seem to have any similar obligations via the BSA Mortgage Instructions. Is this right?

The BSA Mortgage Instructions don't specifically deal with Solar Panels but it would be prudent as approved solicitors for Newbury Building Society to raise the issue with them (as you would if the UK Finance Lenders’ Handbook applied). In any event you need to raise the appropriate questions for your buyer client.

What lender panels do you receive the most questions about?

BSA lenders do not come within the top 20 lenders in terms of frequency of questions. The most popular lender panels in terms of questions are as follows:

Find a Lawyer on the Newbury Building Society Approved Conveyancing Solicitors Panel

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

This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.

Year	Days*
2026	[no data]
2025	[no data]
2024	[no data]
2023	[no data]
2022	[no data]
2021	[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