It’s been quite a while since property headlines moved away from the uncertainty surrounding the price of housing, however, in more recent weeks, HSBC have been making some headlines of their own in the conveyancing world, but for quite different reasons.

Up until now, when you bought a house in England and/or Wales, it was standard practice to appoint the solicitor of your choice, and this same solicitor would then proceed to act for both you and your mortgage lender on what was known as a “joint representation basis”.

All mortgage lenders operate what they refer to as a “panel” arrangement, meaning that the solicitors they deal with have to meet certain criteria. If however the solicitor you have appointed fails to “tick all the boxes” on their checklist, they will then appoint their own choice of solicitor, leaving your solicitor to deal solely with you, while your mortgage lender then deals with their own solicitor. This spilt process is known as “separate representation”. Continue reading →