UK Finance has reversed its decision to introduce a charge for access to the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook following widespread criticism from industry bodies.
Under the proposals, conveyancers would have been required from 1 June 2026 to pay £50 plus VAT per user to register and access the handbook. The proposed charge applied to guidance that had previously been provided free of charge and is widely regarded as essential to the conveyancing process.
UK Finance’s decision to drop their proposal to charge conveyancers for accessing the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook has been broadly welcomed by the industry.
A Law Society spokesperson said: “We are delighted that UK Finance has listened to the concerns of the Law Society and other UK law societies and decided to drop their proposal to charge conveyancers a fee to use the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook for the foreseeable future,” said Law Society of England and Wales president Mark Evans.
“We commend UK Finance for reacting swiftly to the strength of opposition against the proposal to introduce a charge, including from the Law Society on behalf of our members.
“We will now work with UK Finance to support conveyancers as the new system is implemented on 2 March.”
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