First Direct - approved solicitors

rd07

Hi, I'm currently in the process of selling my current property (mortgage with First Direct) and buying a new property where I am also looking to use First Direct for the mortgage. I have an agreement in principle in place and have submitted my payslips for review and the estate agents I'm dealing with the property I'm purchasing are now asking for solicitor details. As I understand it, First Direct (HSBC group in general?) have some restrictions on which solicitors can be used and have told me that a mortgage advisor will go through this with me, however, they've said an appointment with the mortgage advisor is likely to be a month away. 

As I'm being asked to instruct a solicitor immediately, my questions are - 

1) Does anyone have any recent experience with First Direct and which solicitors you have used and 
2) If you have used a solicitor not on their approved list, my understanding is you have to pay additional costs for their own legal costs so are you able to advise how much this is likely to be?

Thanks

Thrugelmir

First Direct will have a panel of solicitors that you can choose from. Ring them and ask which ones are local to you.

Why wouldn't you wish to use one on their approved list? Additional cost and time spring to mind for no benefit. 

rd07

Thrugelmir said:

First Direct will have a panel of solicitors that you can choose from. Ring them and ask which ones are local to you.

Why wouldn't you wish to use one on their approved list? Additional cost and time spring to mind for no benefit. 

I completely agree - my point is they've told me I need to wait to speak to a mortgage advisor for that info and an appointment is likely to be a month away!

Voyager2002

I think you need to contact First Direct again or explore their website: there is no need for an appointment to hand over the list of the solicitors they use. Come to that, for someone in your situation there is no need for an appointment with a mortgage advisor.

Have you told the estate agent the reason for your delay in instructing a solicitor?

rd07

Voyager2002 said:

I think you need to contact First Direct again or explore their website: there is no need for an appointment to hand over the list of the solicitors they use. Come to that, for someone in your situation there is no need for an appointment with a mortgage advisor.

Have you told the estate agent the reason for your delay in instructing a solicitor?

Thanks. I'm glad you are of that opinion - they didn't seem very helpful at all. I'd looked on First Direct's website and whilst they talk about 'criteria', they don't actually provide a list of approved solicitors which seems odd.

I've explained the situation to the estate agent and have since made my own enquiries and confirmed with a local solicitors that they are on First Direct's panel so I should be OK now but the process so far seems unnecessarily difficult!

Thrugelmir

Always worth getting a few quotes for comparison. They can differ markedly. 

bucksbloke

You can find some of the panel members at https://www.lenderpanel.com/

boots_babe

Appreciate it's probably too late for the OP, but in case of it's help for anyone else reading this thread. I just called the First Direct mortgage number and gave them the details of the 2 solicitors I had narrowed my list down to. 

They checked there and then on the phone to see if they were on their panel, 1 was, 1 wasn't. They said that if the solicitor wasn't on their panel they wouldn't allow us to use them, so obviously we've gone with the other one.

MaryNB

I found some of the websites that allow you to search a lender's panel were pretty useless. I even tried Halifax's conveyancing quote system and the nearest one to me was in Wales. I'm buying in Bristol. Not exactly the middle of nowhere with very few legal firms.

I contacted a few local conveyancing solicitors and asked my top choice if they are on Halifax's panel (they appeared on none of my online searches of Halifax's panel). They said they are. Halifax confirmed my chosen firm was on their panel when I put through my application.