The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) condemns UK Finance’s decision to charge conveyancers for accessing lenders’ own instructions
28th January 2026
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers (SLC) has sharply criticised UK Finance’s plan to charge conveyancers £50 + VAT per user to access the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook from 1 June 2026.
The Handbook contains the instructions that conveyancers must follow to act for lenders.
The SLC calls the move “outrageous, unjustifiable, and wholly unacceptable.”
Paying to read your client’s instructions
The SLC Chairperson Simon Law said:
“UK Finance is effectively telling conveyancers: pay us if you want to follow your client's instructions. This is absurd. No other profession is charged to access mandatory instructions from its own clients.”
A cost shift onto an already pressured profession
The SLC warns that the plan forces conveyancers to subsidise lender risk management, adding unnecessary financial pressure and placing essential compliance information behind a paywall.
Risk to consumers and transactions
Requiring individual paid accounts-including for paralegals and administrative staff - introduces avoidable delays and risk to property transactions.
The Society of Licensed Conveyancers demands immediate reversal
The SLC calls on UK Finance to:
- Withdraw the proposed charging model
- Consult properly with the profession
- Adopt a lender‑funded system
Simon Law said: “The profession will not accept paying for access to instructions we are obligated to follow. UK Finance must rethink this immediately.”