HSBC changed its answer to Part 2 section 6.3.1a of the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook on 5 October 2026. The amendment deals with what conveyancers must do if the purchase price changes during a transaction.
The practical instruction is clear: report any change to HSBC immediately, then wait for confirmation that HSBC is happy to proceed before exchanging contracts or submitting the electronic Certificate of Title (eCOT).
The Lexsure HSBC Lender Archive provides access to date-specific historical Part 2 records. The wording that applied to a past transaction may differ from HSBC’s current instructions.
The revised HSBC wording
The customer will inform us of the purchase price during their mortgage application, and that amount will, amongst other variables, form the basis of our lending decision. The purchase price is not separately stated in the Mortgage Offer, but it will be pre-populated in the eCOT template.
If there is any change to the purchase price, you must report this to us immediately, as we will need to consider whether the change is material to our lending decision.
Please do not exchange contracts or submit the eCOT until we have confirmed to you that we are happy to proceed with the revised purchase price. Once we agree to proceed, you may update the purchase price in the eCOT template.
What conveyancers should do
The amended answer links the purchase price provided during the mortgage application to HSBC’s lending decision. Because the price is not stated separately in the Mortgage Offer, HSBC says it will be pre-populated in the eCOT template.
That makes the eCOT figure an important check against the contract and the current agreed price. If the price changes at any point—for example, following a valuation, survey, renegotiation or agreed variation—tell HSBC immediately. Do not assume that a lower price, or a change that seems acceptable to the buyer and seller, can simply be entered in the certificate.
The sequence in the new wording matters:
- Identify that the agreed purchase price has changed.
- Report the change to HSBC immediately through the applicable lender contact route.
- Wait for HSBC to confirm that it is happy to proceed at the revised price.
- Do not exchange contracts or submit the eCOT before that confirmation.
- Once HSBC agrees, update the price in the eCOT template.
HSBC says it will consider whether the change is material to its lending decision. The wording does not say that every price change will lead to a new offer or a refusal to lend. It does make clear that the conveyancer must not decide for themselves that a change is immaterial and proceed without HSBC’s confirmation.
Purchase-price changes are separate from incentives
This is a purchase-price instruction under section 6.3.1a. It should be read separately from HSBC’s incentive-reporting requirements under section 6.4.4a. A change to the price in the sale contract and an incentive offered by the seller or developer may arise in the same transaction, but they are different issues and should each be considered under the relevant instruction.
Our related post, HSBC Incentives Reporting: 3% With Part Exchange, 5% Without, covers the section 6.4.4a change. That post concerns incentives; this update concerns a change to the purchase price itself.
Check the instruction that applied on the relevant date
Lender instructions change, and the wording in force at the relevant point in a transaction may matter when reviewing a past matter. The Lexsure HSBC Lender Archive provides date-based access to historical HSBC Part 2 requirements.
Our guide, Historical HSBC Conveyancing Requirements: Why Dates Matter, explains why checking the requirement for the relevant date can be important.
For live matters, conveyancers should check the current HSBC instruction and follow its applicable reporting route. Where the purchase price changes, the operational reading of the new section 6.3.1a answer is: report first, obtain HSBC’s confirmation, and only then exchange or submit the eCOT.