Precise has joined LMS Panel Link for its residential mortgage business, bringing changes to the way participating conveyancing firms receive documents, handle post-offer queries and submit certificates of title.
For conveyancers, the practical focus is how these processes fit into the firm’s existing lender compliance procedures. A digital platform can help information move more efficiently, but the underlying title investigation and reporting still need careful attention.
What has been announced?
The partnership provides Precise with panel management support and access to three LMS services:
- Secure Link: lender-approved answers to frequently asked questions, intended to reduce delays in resolving post-offer enquiries.
- Document Distribution: electronic distribution of documentation to the relevant parties.
- Electronic Certificate of Title: a digital process for submitting the certificate of title, commonly referred to as eCOT.
The announcement concerns Precise’s residential mortgage products. Firms should check the instructions issued on each matter rather than assume that the same arrangements apply across every product or existing case.
Check Precise panel status before accepting instructions
Before accepting a matter where the firm expects to act for both borrower and lender, confirm that the particular firm and office can act for Precise on that transaction.
Borrowers and brokers can search the Precise Mortgages solicitors panel directory by postcode. The directory provides a selection of firms rather than the lender’s complete panel, so an individual appointment should be confirmed with the firm and, where necessary, the lender or panel manager.
Access to a panel management platform should not be treated as confirmation that a firm is approved for every lender using it. Lender eligibility and the firm’s ability to accept the particular instruction need to be established.
Post-offer enquiries: use the answer that fits the case
Lender-approved FAQs can help resolve recurring questions without repeated correspondence. The important step is to establish whether an answer addresses the actual circumstances of the transaction.
A question about a lease provision, gifted deposit, title discrepancy or missing approval may depend on facts that a general answer does not cover. If the circumstances fall outside the published answer, the firm should follow the instructed route for obtaining clarification.
Retain the relevant answer or correspondence on the file so that the basis for proceeding can be understood later.
Electronic document delivery needs clear responsibility
Electronic distribution can make mortgage documents easier to receive and retrieve. Firms still need a reliable process for identifying new or amended documents and bringing them to the attention of the person responsible for the matter.
A useful internal review should establish:
- Who monitors incoming documents and notifications.
- How revised offers and additional conditions are identified.
- Where the documents and related correspondence are saved.
- How outstanding lender enquiries are tracked.
- Who provides cover when the responsible fee earner is absent.
The operational question is whether the right person sees and acts on the information in time.
eCOT changes the submission process, not the underlying assessment
An electronic certificate of title can streamline submission. It does not resolve an outstanding title issue or supply lender consent where consent is required.
Before submission, the responsible conveyancer needs to establish that the certificate’s statements can be supported and that the applicable lender conditions have been addressed.
Our earlier article on lender requests for conveyancing files considers why the evidence retained on a completed file matters when the lender later reviews the transaction.
Panel management is a continuing responsibility
The Precise announcement is another example of lenders using shared platforms to manage their relationships with conveyancing firms.
Our historical article on the proposed lender panel portal for Santander and other lenders in 2014 discussed an earlier development involving Lender Exchange. That was a different platform, but it illustrates the longstanding move towards centralised panel information and administration.
For firms, the continuing task is to keep panel information accurate, allocate responsibility for requests and ensure that operational changes reach the conveyancing team.
Our guide to staying on lender panels in 2026 explains how panel records, file reviews and management oversight can support that work.
What conveyancing firms should do now
Firms handling Precise residential matters should review the communications and instructions they receive about Panel Link, identify any changes to their working procedures and brief the relevant staff.
That review should cover panel status, document receipt, post-offer enquiries and the certificate of title submission process. Any uncertainty about an existing matter should be clarified through the lender’s instructed channels.
The opportunity is more efficient communication. The practical requirement is to make sure the firm’s controls work throughout that process.