The Chorley & District Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

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

The Chorley & District Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information:

What are the The Chorley & District 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:

No set panel but any firm wanting to act for CDBS must meet the specific requirements set out below.

Specific Requirements

1. Law Society or CLC member

2. Minimum of 2 partners or directors

You must also comply with the terms and conditions of your The Chorley & District Building Society solicitor panel appointment.

Are The Chorley & District Building Society Conveyancing panel solicitors at risk of the society altering or retracting the loan offer?
The Chorley & District Building Society addresses this at section B.3 of their BSA Mortgage Instructions which states:

Any incentive, or third party involvement, of which we were previously unaware. Any material change in borrower’s circumstance between offer and completion

Am I obliged, being on the The Chorley & District Building Society conveyancing panel, to carry out a Lawyer Checker Search, an HS2 search?
The Chorley & District 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’.

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

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.

What is the CLC doing 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 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 The Chorley & District Building Society as well as the BSA
Are there conditions,outside the BSA Mortgage Instructions, that a firm should be aware of when on the The Chorley & District Building Society conveyancing panel?
In order to be on the The Chorley & District 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 The Chorley & District Building Society) are as follows:
  • 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
  • To quote on all communications with us relating to registration issues, whether by telephone or in writing, the panel number that we provide for each practising address and the mortgage account or application number for the mortgage concerned.
  • You have the consent of all borrowers to apply for the deeds, before making any request for deeds. We will accept your request for deeds on the understanding that you have obtained such consent. If this is not the case then you should advise our Deeds Services Department in writing when you make your request
  • 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.)
  • 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.
What type of firms do building societies accept on their approved solicitor panel?
In the same way that there is a unique The Chorley & District Building Society conveyancing panel most building societies, operate a conveyancing panel for solicitors and other conveyancers that the lender will instruct. Terms and Conditions and criteria for inclusion on a building society conveyancing panel vary from lender-to-lender. Having CQS accreditation may be a requirement.

Institutional lenders, such as a building society, is a client and is entitled to instruct the solicitor or conveyancer of its choosing (who, in turn, is free to accept or refuse instructions). Therefore, if lender and borrower cannot agree which solicitor or conveyancer should represent them jointly, they would usually proceed on a separate representation basis.

Should Conveyancing Quality Scheme membership guarantee my firm’s acceptance on to building society conveyancing panels?
CQS membership is no guarantee to lender panel acceptance. Nevertheless the Council of Mortgage Lenders have indicated that it is likely to become a prerequisite for firms wishing to join their panels. A number of mortgage companies now use CQS as the starting point for Panel approval such as Astra Mortgages .
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:

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Average number of days to register title including a charge in favour of The Chorley & District Building Society
This information relates to purchase only and not remortgages.
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* Data aggregated from sources including COMPLETIONmonitor