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Pepper Money (UK) Solicitor Panel: Recently Asked Questions
Can you recommend what we should do if we wish to lodge an appeal being removed from the
Pepper Money (UK) conveyancing panel?
If you are removed from the
Pepper Money (UK) conveyancing panel and you are unaware of or disagree with the reasons for your removal you should: (a) Contact
Pepper Money (UK) directly. (b) If there is an appeals process detailed on your letter you should follow the process.
In appealing a decision by Pepper Money (UK), it may be useful to provide the following information:
- Full disclosure of your firm’s conveyancing history
- Your COMPLETIONmonitor reports, assuming you use the Lexsure software
- Your recent claims history
- Full details of all staff in your firm and their role.
- Note down if a solicitor has been admitted to the role on completion of the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test.
- Supply duplicate practising certificates, the firm's current professional indemnity policy and the firm’s accountant's certificate, calculating what % 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. The 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.
Is it true that the Law Society has recommended that firms check their status on the
Pepper Money (UK) conveyancing panel?
The Law Society of Scotland has suggested that solicitors should check their panel status with lenders before accepting client instructions to act. The advice is lender-agnostic as it does not relate specifically to solicitors on the
Pepper Money (UK) conveyancing panel. The recommendation arises from the practice of a number of mortgage lenders who remove solicitors from their panels without prior notice as part of their panel management system, which can lead to some solicitors discovering this only once instructed. This is sensible advice as a client finding out midway through a transaction that their lawyer is not on the approved lender panel is very frustrating and can lead to complaints. Many online consumer forums contain posts where someone is complaining about finding that their lawyer is not on a lender conveyancing panel. Such forums include mumsnet.com
Are the Council of Licensed Conveyancers taking any action to ensure that licensed conveyancers remain on lender conveyancing panels?
As is the case with the Law Society the Council of Licensed Conveyancers has begun dialogue with lenders and their representative bodies to see whether and how the risks that lenders wish to mitigate could be addressed through the regulatory framework rather than via ad hoc arrangements that can differ from lender to lender. It is likely that that the CLC have been in touch with lenders such as
Pepper Money (UK) as well as the CML.
I understand that Pepper Money (UK) could request or audit my files as I am on the
Pepper Money (UK) conveyancing panel. Are there any confidentiality issues that I need to consider first?
We can't comment specifically on
Pepper Money (UK). Many major lenders are now introducing ‘file auditing’ as standard practice in relation to completed matters. This raises questions of confidentiality in relation to the buyer client and the purpose to which the results of such audits will be put. The starting point is to remember that the file does not belong to your firm, it belongs to the ‘client’. But, of course, we will normally have two clients – the buyer and the lender - and you will owe a duty of confidentiality to each. So basically, you have to separate the file and just send the lender the parts solely relating to themselves. But, of course, as this will basically be correspondence with the lender, mortgage instructions etc.
Check with your COLP but a firm should not send the complete conveyancing file without the buyer client’s express consent – and if she is in arrears with the lender she is hardly likely to agree. However, if the lender can establish a prima facie case of fraud, then you may be under an obligation to disclose the whole file.
The emerging convention is that lenders are including an authority to disclose in loan application forms to counter this problem. Mortgage Express v Sawali, [2010] EWHC 3054 (Ch) indicates that such provisions are valid. Please click here for more information about that case.
Does my firm face suspension off the
Pepper Money (UK) solicitor panel if I have not sent the title deed on a purchase within a certain time frame from draw-down of funds?
One might ordinarily expect
Pepper Money (UK) via their Part 2 obligations to address this but the Handbook makes no mention on time frames. You need to look at the Terms of
Pepper Money (UK)’s Conveyancing Panel Appointment that you entered into. For many lender's these Terms include a provision such as:
‘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’ It is imperative to keep
Pepper Money (UK) informed.
Law firms can often compound their problems by not communicating with the lender when there is a delay or problem.
If my application is successful will Conveyancing Quality Scheme acceptance guarantee my firm’s acceptance on to lenders conveyancing panels?
CQS accreditation is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless the CML have indicated that it is likely to become a prerequisite for firms wishing to join their approved list of firms. A number of Lenders now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval as is the case with Astra Mortgages.
Our practice is on the
Pepper Money (UK)
conveyancing panel and all set to complete a purchase within the next week. I dont have a Mortgage Deed for the client to execute.
Who do I contact at Pepper Money (UK) to obtain duplicate documents?
You should get in touch with Pepper Money (UK)
to obtain standard documents. The CML Handbook has a specific inquiry for banks to cite who to contact to obtain standard documents.
Always remember to disclose your Pepper Money (UK) conveyancing panel reference.
Find a Lawyer on the Pepper Money (UK) Conveyancing Panel
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Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of Pepper Money (UK)
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 Pepper Money (UK) Firms
- Draft Report on Title precedent for Pepper Money (UK) borrowers
- Draft Anti Money Laundering PolicyTemplate for Pepper Money (UK) panel firms to consider
- Dealing with Lender Policy Template panel for CQS accredited firms on the Pepper Money (UK) lender panel
- Buy-to-Let help for Pepper Money (UK)
- Consent-to-Let help for Pepper Money (UK)
- Contractor Mortgages with Pepper Money (UK)
