Newcastle Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

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

Newcastle Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information:

What are the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel criteria?
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 outsources management of its conveyancing panel to Legal Marketing Services Limited (“LMS”).

Firms may apply for inclusion to the Society’s conveyancing panel by visiting www.lms.com/lenderpanels

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

What obligations do I have, being on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel, to carry out a flood search?
Newcastle 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 Newcastle Building Society are concerned if they are ‘appropriate’. Most lenders will not require environmental searches (you should Check the Newcastle 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 long standing client of my firm is buying a semi detached house for £740k in Mill Hill with a mortgage over GBP 440,000. I am on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel but do Newcastle Building Society have a separate approved panel when the advance is above 350k?
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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle Building Society
Are there conditions,outside the BSA Mortgage Instructions, that a firm should be aware of when on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel?
In order to be on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel solicitors have to complete an application form and agree Terms and Conditions. A sample of 5 conditions that we see amongst many lenders Terms (but not necessarily Newcastle Building Society) are as follows:
  • That any deeds you borrow from us in connection with the personal mortgage of a partner or director at your firm must be requested by a partner or director other than the partner or director concerned and the transaction must be handled by that other partner or director. If you are a sole practitioner and require the loan of deeds in connection with your own mortgage, you must nominate a different firm on our panel to request the deeds and handle the transaction.
  • To keep us informed of the reasons for any delay in your being able to send the title deeds and documents we require to us within 3 months of completion or evidence of proof of registration within that period. (We will send reminders if the deeds have not been received but will not acknowledge receipt of deeds.)
  • To be responsible for the reconstitution of the title deeds (whether the title is registered or unregistered, at your own cost), where any deeds in your possession, or were last known to be in your possession, go missing.
  • To carry out our instructions with reasonable care and skill, ensuring that all employees carrying out mortgage work on our behalf are qualified and competent to do so
  • If you are a sole practitioner, to arrange for appropriate locum cover from our panel where necessary. Your locum must be a member of the Conveyancing panel.
If my application is successful will CQS membership secure my firm’s acceptance on to building society conveyancing panels?
CQS accreditation gives no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless the BSA have indicated that it is likely to become a prerequisite for firms wishing to remain on their approved list of conveyancing solicitors. A number of Lenders now use the scheme as the starting point for Panel acceptance such as HSBC .
Can the BSA help me join the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel?
The BSA has no role in influencing what conveyancers Newcastle Building Society instructs. If you want to be admitted onto Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel you should contact Newcastle Building Society directly.
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:
Were are a Hendon-based firm on the Newcastle Building Society conveyancing panel. How can we advertise our practice as carrying out conveyancing in Hendon on the Newcastle Building Society panel?
7 consumers search for a conveyancing practitioner on the Newcastle Building Society panel each month in Hendon. Please contact the team at lenderpanel.com to see how your firm can be listed by those searching for conveyancing in Hendon.

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Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Newcastle Building Society
This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.
YearDays*
2024 [no data]
2023 [no data]
2022 [no data]
2021 [no data]
2020 [no data]
2019 15.2
* Data aggregated from sources including COMPLETIONmonitor