West Bromwich Building Society Conveyancing Panel Information

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

West Bromwich Building Society Conveyancing Panel Assistance:

What are the West Bromwich 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:

Generally, Firms must have at least two Partners however all Firms wishing to be admitted to the conveyancing panel should contact Mortgage Deeds Administration Department in the first instance - See E.33 below for contact details.

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

Can a practice submit a complaint to the BSA about being removed excluded suspended from the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel?
The BSA is not a regulator and therefore will not advise on grievances against lenders. You can of course contact us to see if we can assist.
Are the BSA planning on creating a searchable register to to identify practices on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel ?
We have not been informed any plans on the part of the BSA to promote such a tool .
Does the fact that my firm subscribes to Alerts via this site help in my application to join the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel?
The criteria to join the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel is likely to be fairly detailed and is unlikely to include signing up to LENDERmonitor alerts.
Is it the case that the Law Society has advised that firms check their status on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel?
The Law Society of Scotland has suggested that solicitors should check their panel status with lenders prior to accepting client instructions to act. The advice is lender-agnostic as it does not relate specifically to solicitors on the West Bromwich Building Society 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 moneysavingexpert.com
What obligations do I have, being on the West Bromwich Building Society conveyancing panel, to carry out an Lender Policy search?
West Bromwich 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 West Bromwich Building Society are concerned if they are ‘appropriate’. Most lenders will not require environmental searches (you should Check the West Bromwich 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.

The CML Handbook contains conveyancing instructions for a roof with a solar panel. West Bromwich Building Society do not set out 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 West Bromwich 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:

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