This guide is for residential buyers in England and Wales. If your firm cannot act for the lender, ask what arrangements the lender will accept before you pay for further work. You may be able to use separate firms, but that needs checking for your case.
1 What is a mortgage lender's conveyancing panel?
A mortgage lender's panel is its list of approved legal firms. When one conveyancer acts for both you and the lender, the firm has work to do for each of you. The lender's requirements must be met as well as the legal checks needed for your purchase.
UK Finance's handbook describes general instructions and additional requirements set by individual lenders. Its England and Wales guidance also covers situations where a conveyancer acts for the lender alone. Not every lender uses that handbook, so your firm must follow the instructions that apply to your mortgage.
There is another meaning of “panel” to watch for. A comparison service's panel is the group of firms it offers quotes from. Membership of that group does not, by itself, confirm membership of your mortgage lender's panel. Ask the lender question even when a quote comes through a comparison site, estate agent or broker.
2 How do I check whether the firm can act for my lender?
Ask about the exact firm, office and purchase you are considering. “We work with major lenders” leaves too much unanswered. GOV.UK's home-buying guide includes lender-panel membership among the checks to make when selecting a legal representative.
- Name the intended lender. Say whether the mortgage application is being prepared or an offer has been issued. If you are still choosing a lender, say so.
- Identify the legal firm. Ask for its full legal name, office address and regulator number. Give these details to your lender or broker so they check the same firm.
- Describe the purchase. Include whether it is freehold or leasehold, a new build, shared ownership or buy-to-let, and whether the deposit includes a gift. Ask whether any of those details change the firm's ability to act or its quote.
- Get the answer in writing. Ask whether the firm can represent both you and the lender, what remains to be confirmed, and whether any separate lender legal work is needed.
- Keep the confirmation with the quote. Record who checked it and when. If the lender or transaction changes, ask the firm to confirm the position again.
Including the office and transaction details helps avoid a mistaken match. It does not mean every lender uses the same branch-approval rules.
For lenders available in Lender Exchange's public search, select the lender and enter the firm's name or postcode. The service says a listed firm is active on that lender's residential conveyancing panel. A missing result may mean an application is pending or the firm is not active for that lender. Follow up with the firm and lender; a directory result does not settle every condition of your purchase.
What does each check actually tell you?
| Check | What it helps establish | What you still need |
|---|---|---|
| Regulator's register | The identity and regulatory status of the legal firm | Confirmation that it can act for your mortgage lender |
| Professional accreditation | Membership of a particular quality scheme | The lender's acceptance of the firm for your transaction |
| A firm's website or online directory | A starting point for your shortlist | Current confirmation; do not treat an undated entry as a completed check |
| A written response from the firm | What it says it can do with the facts supplied | Any outstanding lender check or instruction to be resolved |
| Confirmation from the lender or through your broker | The lender's position on the proposed firm and arrangement | The firm's agreement to take your case and the full written quote |
For an SRA-regulated firm, use the SRA Solicitors Register. For a CLC-regulated practice, use the CLC register and select the practice search. Check the organisation handling your work, rather than relying only on an individual's name.
The Law Society's Conveyancing Quality Scheme is an accreditation for SRA-regulated conveyancing firms. Regulation, CQS accreditation and lender acceptance are different checks. Neither SRA registration nor CQS membership means a firm can act for every mortgage lender.
3 What if my solicitor is not on the lender's panel?
Establish what the lender permits before deciding to change firms. There are two arrangements to compare where available: a firm that can act for both parties, or separate representation, with one firm advising you and another acting for the lender.
| Possible route | What to establish before agreeing |
|---|---|
| Choose a firm that can act for you and the lender | Its acceptance of your case, full quote and capacity; if work has already started, the old firm's charges and transfer arrangements |
| Keep your firm and use separate representation, if permitted | The lender's approval of the arrangement, who appoints its firm, who pays each bill and how the firms will coordinate |
| Ask whether your firm can join the panel | Whether an application is possible and whether approval has actually been granted; an application is not permission to act |
For a concrete example, Nationwide's published instructions say Nationwide appoints the panel firm when a borrower uses a non-panel conveyancer. The borrower's firm cannot simply appoint another firm of its own choice to fulfil that role. This is Nationwide's process; your lender may use different arrangements.
Do not assume switching is always cheaper, or that separate representation is always available. How much work has already been done matters. Ask for the costs and outstanding steps for each permitted route, then discuss the choice with your conveyancer and lender or broker.
Changing the mortgage is a separate financial decision. Ask your mortgage adviser about the product, application and timing consequences before considering a different lender solely to keep a legal firm.
4 Which extra costs should I check?
Ask which charges are already included before adding figures together. A fee described as “acting for the lender” might cover your own firm's mortgage work; it does not necessarily mean a second firm is being appointed. Get the description and the payee confirmed.
The SRA's consumer guidance on costs explains that cost information should be provided in writing, including how the charges are calculated. Its price-transparency rules also address VAT, likely disbursements (payments to third parties) and exclusions in advertised residential conveyancing prices. Use the questions below with the firms involved.
| Cost or work item | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| Your firm's lender work | Is this included in the legal fee or separately charged? Which lender work does it cover? |
| Another firm's bill | If separate representation is required, who instructs and pays that firm, and what is included in its quote? |
| Tax and third-party charges | Is applicable VAT shown, and which expenses or disbursements are additional? |
| Work already completed | What would I owe my current firm if I change, including any transfer charge? |
| Searches and documents | What can the new firm and lender accept, and what would need checking or ordering again? |
| Money already paid | Which payments have been used, which remain on account, and what credit or refund is due under the terms? |
| A later change of lender | What further work or charges would that change trigger? |
There is no single extra-fee figure in this guide: your answer depends on the written quotes and the arrangement accepted by the lender. Use our quote-comparison guide to put the full figures side by side, and our conveyancing costs guide to understand the components.
If a move stops or you change firms, check the actual cancellation terms. A no-move-no-fee label does not answer every question about money already spent; our no-move-no-fee guide explains what to ask.
5 What if I do not have a final mortgage offer yet?
You can compare conveyancers using your intended lender, while making clear that the choice may change. A decision in principle does not commit you to that lender, as GOV.UK explains. Ask the firm what it can confirm now and which checks will need repeating.
If you change lender after instructing, tell the conveyancer and broker promptly. Ask whether the same firm can still act, whether new instructions are needed, and whether the cost or expected timetable changes. A check against the first lender does not answer the question for the replacement lender.
For the wider decision about when to start legal work, read when to instruct a conveyancer after an offer is accepted.
6 Keep a lender-confirmation record
Use this blank record alongside each quote. It is a way to organise the answers, not a certificate of panel membership.
| Record | Your notes |
|---|---|
| Intended lender and application/offer stage | ____________________ |
| Legal firm's full name, office and regulator number | ____________________ |
| Purchase and property details supplied | ____________________ |
| Firm's written confirmation, contact and date | ____________________ |
| Lender/broker check, contact and date | ____________________ |
| One firm or separate representation; who appoints whom | ____________________ |
| Full costs, included items and payments already made | ____________________ |
| Unresolved conditions, person following up and next check | ____________________ |
If the firm and lender give conflicting answers, send both the same firm details and ask them to resolve the discrepancy before you authorise further costs on that assumption.
A message you can adapt
I am buying [property type] in [England/Wales] with an intended mortgage from [lender]. My application is at [stage]. Please confirm the legal firm's full name, the office handling the purchase and whether you can act for both me and this lender on this transaction.
Please identify any conditions still to be checked and any separate representation required. If another firm is needed, who must appoint it, who pays it and what is the full quoted cost? Please also show which lender-related charges are already included in your quote.
If I change lender or need to change conveyancer, what further work, charges and document-transfer arrangements would need agreeing?
7 Comparing quotes through MoveGuide
MoveGuide helps residential buyers and sellers in England and Wales compare quotes from its panel and understand the next steps before instructing. Tell us your intended lender and the details of your purchase so those questions can be raised when discussing the quote. The legal firm must confirm that it can act for you and the lender on your case.
MoveGuide's comparison panel is not your mortgage lender's panel. A displayed quote is not a guarantee of lender approval. The chosen legal firm provides the legal advice.
MoveGuide may contact you to explain your quote. Comparing quotes does not send your details to conveyancers. We share your contact and enquiry details only with your chosen firm when you explicitly request a call or choose to instruct it. Requesting a call does not commit you to instructing that firm.
If you proceed through MoveGuide, the £150 file-opening payment is included in the quoted total and credited against the final bill. Check the written quote and payment terms before paying.
Compare conveyancing quotes, then keep the lender confirmation with the quote you choose. For the other service checks, see how to choose a conveyancer.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked on .
- GOV.UK: How to buy a home. lender checks and decisions in principle.
- UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook. public overview of general, lender-specific and separate-representation instructions.
- Nationwide: information for lawyers. its separate-representation and panel-application processes.
- SRA Solicitors Register. firm and individual regulation checks.
- CLC register. practice and individual search.
- Lender Exchange: public law firm search. active residential panel listings for the lenders available in its search.
- Law Society: Conveyancing Quality Scheme. the purpose of the accreditation.
- SRA: understanding costs. written costs information and charging arrangements.
- SRA Transparency Rules. published conveyancing prices, VAT, disbursements and exclusions.