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Conveyancing with a Nationwide mortgage: gifts, panel rules and moving home

What Nationwide Building Society will ask you for

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We are on Nationwide’s conveyancing panel (panel list dated 12 Oct 2026). Lenders can change their panels, so we confirm when you instruct.

  • Your firm must be on its panel, or Nationwide appoints oneChoose a panel firm to avoid two firms and extra cost
  • Gifted Deposit Form for a larger UK gift, or several UK gifts adding up past Nationwide’s limit, and for every gift from abroadEach giver is named on Nationwide’s form and signs it, as well as sending us ID
  • 3 months’ statements (EEA giver) or 6 months (outside the EEA)Ask the giver for statements early
  • New-build offers valid 270 days; extensions can’t be requestedThe build must finish in time; tell us the builder’s latest date
  • Builder incentives up to 90% loan-to-value: up to 5% of the price or value, whichever is lower; above 90%, noneOver 5%, Nationwide declines the case
  • Lease: at least 55 years left when you apply and 30 years after the mortgage ends; 90 years at application above 85% loan-to-valueA shorter lease can mean a smaller loan or none; on an older flat, under 90 years caps the loan at 85%
  • New build: houses up to 95%, flats up to 85%; the builder’s UK Finance Disclosure Form is needed or the valuation comes back nilWe chase the builder for the form early
  • Fire safety (England only, 11 metres or 5 storeys and up): an EWS1 rated A1, A2 or B1, or a Landlord Certificate with a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate, depending on the caseWe ask the seller and managing agent for these papers
  • Adding or removing a borrower: a Nationwide fee, no extra borrowing, you instruct and pay a solicitorBudget for our fee as well as Nationwide’s

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From each lender’s public pages, in our own words. Lenders change their criteria, so we confirm what applies when we receive your mortgage instructions. We are solicitors, not brokers: we don’t advise on rates or products.

Short answer

Waterstone Legal is on Nationwide Building Society’s conveyancing panel; we confirm when you instruct. Nationwide’s panel rule: if your firm is not on it, Nationwide appoints its own panel firm and the work is split. A larger UK gift, several UK gifts adding up past Nationwide’s limit, or any gift from abroad needs Nationwide’s Gifted Deposit Form.

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On this page
  1. Nationwide at a glance
  2. What if your solicitor is not on Nationwide’s panel?
  3. When does Nationwide want its own Gifted Deposit Form?
  4. How many months of bank statements does a giver abroad need for Nationwide?
  5. What does Nationwide ask us to check?
  6. Moving home with a Nationwide mortgage: what happens to the early repayment charge?
  7. Does Nationwide treat a home in Wales differently?
  8. Our fees
  9. What happens next

Nationwide at a glance

If your firm is not on the panelNationwide appoints its own panel firm; you pay both firms
Gift from abroadNationwide’s Gifted Deposit Form, whatever the amount
Giver’s statements3 months (EEA giver) or 6 months (outside the EEA)
New-build offer270 days; extensions can’t be requested
Lease left55 years when you apply and 30 when the mortgage ends
Who runs the panelDecision First, through Lender Exchange

What if your solicitor is not on Nationwide’s panel?

Nationwide then appoints a firm from its own panel to act for it, alongside your solicitor. Nationwide picks that firm. Your solicitor cannot choose one for it, and Nationwide’s lawyers’ page says it will not accept that. Two firms means more letters back and forth, and Nationwide warns that leaving this late adds cost and delay. Nationwide’s broker criteria say you pay both firms’ costs.

So check before you choose a solicitor. If you are buying with Nationwide and we are on its panel, one firm acts for you and Nationwide.

When does Nationwide want its own Gifted Deposit Form?

From a giver in the UK, Nationwide asks for its own Gifted Deposit Form for a gift at or above the amount it sets, or when several gifts add up to more than that amount; Nationwide’s gifted deposit page gives the figure. From a giver abroad, it always asks for the form, whatever the amount. If there is more than one giver, each giver is named on a form and signs it. The giver confirms the money is a true gift, not to be paid back, and that they will have no share in the home. The form also asks if the giver will live there.

Nationwide’s other gift rules, from its public pages:

  • the giver must be over 18;
  • no conditions on the gift, except one: a family gift secured by a second charge or family trust may be repaid when the home is sold, with no interest;
  • no gifts from overseas companies, or from a mortgage broker;
  • a gift the giver borrowed is possible, if the giver fills in the form, you are not named on the giver’s loan, and you are not paying any of it back. Nationwide needs a copy of the giver’s loan agreement and proof the lender is regulated, plus, where it applies, bank statements showing the loan money paid out;
  • Nationwide may ask about larger payments from someone else, or in cash.

Our own anti-money-laundering check is separate from Nationwide’s form.

How many months of bank statements does a giver abroad need for Nationwide?

For a giver in the European Economic Area (outside the UK), Nationwide wants 3 months of the giver’s bank statements as well as its form. Outside the EEA, it is 6 months. For a giver in the UK, Nationwide may ask for more evidence. A gift that has sat in your own account for more than 12 months is treated as your savings. Ask the giver to download statements early: overseas banks can be slow.

What does Nationwide ask us to check?

Nationwide’s requirementWhat it means for you
Your firm must be on its panel, or Nationwide appoints oneChoose a panel firm to avoid two firms and extra cost
Gifted Deposit Form for a larger UK gift, or several UK gifts adding up past Nationwide’s limit, and for every gift from abroadEach giver is named on Nationwide’s form and signs it, as well as sending us ID
3 months’ statements (EEA giver) or 6 months (outside the EEA)Ask the giver for statements early
New-build offers valid 270 days; extensions can’t be requestedThe build must finish in time; tell us the builder’s latest date
Builder incentives up to 90% loan-to-value: up to 5% of the price or value, whichever is lower; above 90%, noneOver 5%, Nationwide declines the case
Lease: at least 55 years left when you apply and 30 years after the mortgage ends; 90 years at application above 85% loan-to-valueA shorter lease can mean a smaller loan or none; on an older flat, under 90 years caps the loan at 85%
New build: houses up to 95%, flats up to 85%; the builder’s UK Finance Disclosure Form is needed or the valuation comes back nilWe chase the builder for the form early
Flat over shops or offices: Nationwide may refuse if the access is poor; blocks over four storeys should have a liftTell us early if the flat is above commercial premises
Fire safety (England only, 11 metres or 5 storeys and up): an EWS1 rated A1, A2 or B1, or a Landlord Certificate with a Leaseholder Deed of Certificate, depending on the case. Wales has its own Nationwide rules for these blocksWe ask the seller and managing agent for these papers
Shared ownership: at least a 25% share; up to 90% of itWe check the lease meets the scheme rules
Adding or removing a borrower: a Nationwide fee, no extra borrowing, you instruct and pay a solicitorBudget for our fee as well as Nationwide’s

Waterstone Legal is an independent firm. This page is not written or endorsed by Nationwide.

Moving home with a Nationwide mortgage: what happens to the early repayment charge?

About 45% of the people who asked us to quote for buying and selling together were buying with a mortgage (website quote requests, 2 Sep–29 Oct 2026). Many keep their lender and move their deal across (“porting”). Nationwide’s lawyers’ page says that where there is a gap between the sale and the purchase, the early repayment charge is refunded once the port to the new home completes. Whether you can port, and on what terms, is a question for Nationwide or your broker. We work to line up the dates of your sale and purchase. We ask Nationwide for its redemption figure and check it before completion; panel firms ask for that figure through Lender Exchange. More on buying and selling at the same time.

Does Nationwide treat a home in Wales differently?

Mostly not. Nationwide’s lease, gift and panel rules are the same. For flats in blocks of 11 metres or more (or 5 storeys or more), Nationwide has separate Welsh fire-safety rules, because those blocks are covered by the Welsh Building Safety Fund or the Developers Pledge. The tax is Land Transaction Tax, paid to the Welsh Revenue Authority. If you plan to let the home later, tenancies in Wales are occupation contracts, so ask Nationwide about consent to let.

Our fees

Buying a residential propertyStandard purchase of a freehold home under £2m, with one mortgage £1,010 – £1,910 + VAT (£1,212 – £2,292 including VAT)
Selling a residential propertyStandard sale of a freehold home under £2m, with one registered mortgage to redeem £635 – £1,035 + VAT (£762 – £1,242 including VAT)

Typical ranges for a standard transaction, excluding VAT at 20% and disbursements. Every client receives a written, itemised quotation with an exact figure before instructing us. See all our fees and what they cover.

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What happens next

Legally reviewed by Shah Ali, Senior Partner, on 30 October 2026.

Last updated 30 October 2026.

Sources

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Waterstone Chambers LLP, trading as Waterstone Legal, is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA No. 605949) and CQS accredited. Not happy with our service? See how to complain.