Solicitor not on approved panel - offer issued

DottieDam

Got offer letter for mortgage yesterday, today find out that solicitor isn't on lenders approved panel.

Apparently there is another solicitors in the same building so when we put in the address TSB just assumed it was that solicitor who is approved. We did notice the name discrepancy but figured it was one of those things were companies trade under different names than they operate. It sounds stupid writing it down.

Solicitor has already done pretty much everything and said we could conclude missives today and get the keys next week!

But this came to light via broker this morning and not been able to contact solicitor today.

Surely the solicitors must have known they weren't on approved panel? We were discussing offer with them yesterday and mentioned previously who lender was.

Are we looking at another solicitor? And have to start the process from scratch? Will we be liable for payment with two solicitors (ouch!)

Slithery

Get your current solicitors to join the lenders panel?

kingstreet

Ask your solicitor if they have agency arrangements with another firm which is on the TSB panel.

davidmcn

Either solicitor signs up to TSB's panel (if TSB lets them), or TSB instruct someone else to act for them (which would normally be at your cost, though not clear whether anybody else here is at fault and might pick up cost).

Not everyone in a firm will have up to date knowledge of every lender panel they are or aren't on - might have assumed there wasn't a problem if broker/lender hadn't realised. Also solicitors sometimes "fall off" the panel so might have been aware of previous transactions but not that they weren't currently on panel.