We were refused home loan by mortgage computer because we hadn't piled up debts
By VICTORIA BISCHOFF
PUBLISHED: 00:06 GMT, 2 April 2014 | UPDATED: 00:06 GMT, 2 April 2014
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Gareth Thomas and his fiancee Jennifer Curtis have had the keys to their first home for just three days.
They’ve started peeling off the old cream wallpaper in the living room, but have had to stop after discovering damp.
From the top floor windows, you can see asbestos on the roof of the extension. The back door doesn’t shut and the window frames have gaps in them. You can feel the cold and damp through your feet. The walls are sticky and wet.
Struggle: First-time buyers Gareth Thomas and Jennifer Curtis
Struggle: First-time buyers Gareth Thomas and Jennifer Curtis
But none of this stops Gareth and Jennifer from loving this little, two-bedroom, semi-detached cottage in Billinghay, Lincolnshire. They have big plans for it.
Gareth says: ‘There is a lot of work to be done on the house. But in some ways, the effort we’re going to have to put into it is nothing compared with the lengths we had to go through to get a mortgage in the first place.’
The couple had put aside £8,600 by moving in with Jennifer’s parents for two years to save on rent. Gareth, assistant manager of a music shop, and nurse Jennifer worked overtime and stopped going on nights out with friends.
They started house-hunting last summer, after first approaching NatWest to get a mortgage agreement in principle, which effectively meant the bank would be happy to lend them up to £90,000.
They quickly found a property they wanted — a two-bedroom house in a nearby village.
An offer was accepted, but before they had even gone back to the bank, they were gazumped by a cash buyer. It put them back to square one.
So, they started house-hunting again, and found their home, which was on the market at £86,000.
Their offer at asking price was accepted, so they went back to NatWest to get a formal mortgage offer.
During a two-hour interview in a branch, they were asked about their spending habits, working hours and even plans they may have to start a family. NatWest then ran a credit check. At this point, their application was declined.
Astonishingly, as the couple had never been in debt or rented a home, this was held against them by the banks, as they had no track record of paying money on time.
Jennifer burst into tears. The 22-year-old says: ‘It was very personal. They even implied we’d never be able to get a mortgage again after we’d been turned down once.’
They turned to mortgage broker John Charcol, which found them a loan through Darlington Building Society.
They were approved because the Darlington does not use computerised credit checking, but rather looks at borrowers’ individual finances.
But Gareth and Jennifer’s problems weren’t over yet. Their building survey came back reporting the house was worth just £76,000 — not the £86,000 they were willing to pay.
With the deal about to fall through, they had to beg the seller, the daughter of the previous owner who had died, to drop the asking price by £10,000. She accepted.
Jennifer says: ‘We were lucky. This is a small village and everyone knows everyone. For that reason, the whole process was a lot more friendly and we’re really grateful that, due to that, we were able to negotiate the lower price.’
It will be months, though, before Jennifer and Gareth will be able to move in. They’ve got to replace the windows, and then get rid of the damp and dry rot before they even consider decorating.
GONE IN A DAY: PROPERTIES WITH 107 VIEWINGS
Many first-time buyers can only dream of snapping up a property for as little as Gareth and Jennifer.
But the problems they faced are becoming increasingly typical.
Britain’s housing market is booming — and average prices have climbed by 16 per cent in the past five years, according to Halifax.
First-time buyers pay an average £148,400 — £18,901 more than in 2007, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. In London, the average price paid by a first-time buyer is £265,000.
Getting a deposit can take years for many. But scraping together this down payment is the first — and often least problematic — hurdle.
The fiercely competitive selling market and tough, new mortgage rules have created a battleground for buyers.
In the most sought-after regions, they are having to fight off bids from landlords, movers with piles of equity and cash buyers — all with bigger budgets and more experience at haggling over the price.
Estate agent Marsh & Parsons says that in South-West London, 48 people view every property.
In January, half of all properties sold went for more than the asking price. One in three were snapped up within two weeks. A two-bedroom, ground-floor flat in Balham, South-West London, advertised at £450,000, had 107 viewings and 53 offers. It eventually sold for £549,000.
Hamptons estate agents in Bath did twice as many viewings in January as the same month last year — one in every eight viewers made an offer.
Long haul: Hannah Gibbens and Leslie Walker spent five years scraping together £8,000 for a deposit
Long haul: Hannah Gibbens and Leslie Walker spent five years scraping together £8,000 for a deposit
Hannah Gibbens, 29, and Leslie Walker, 34, spent five years scraping together £8,000 for a deposit.
They were renting a flat in East Grinstead, West Sussex, where Hannah worked as a commercial manager at a legal firm.
Saving proved a struggle, so for six months they moved into a flat above the pub where Leslie worked. In a final push, they moved in with Hannah’s mum.
The couple planned to take advantage of the Government’s Help to Buy scheme. At the time, this limited them to buying a new-build property. But just as they started looking, Hannah’s father told them not to bother.
He was concerned that as everyone was snapping up new-build properties, they’d never be able to sell it on in later years. So, he gave them £20,000 — money he’d earmarked for their wedding later this year. They applied for a mortgage with Santander, but were turned down after failing the credit checks. Though they had rented, and so had a track record of paying bills, the couple had never been in debt.
They had been aware this may be a problem when applying for a mortgage, so had taken out a credit card the year before.
They had spent on it and paid it back in full to make them seem responsible borrowers. But the bank told them they hadn’t had the card long enough for it to count on their records.
So, the couple contacted brokers London & Country, who found them a mortgage with Halifax.
They presented six months’ bank statements and were approved to borrow £181,000. They put down a £24,000 deposit for a £205,000 three-bedroom house in Milton Keynes, Bucks, and in December they finally moved in.
David Hollingworth, of London & Country, says: ‘There is a serious lack of property available, but it’s not impossible to find somewhere. To set yourself apart, you need to show the seller you can move quickly.
‘This means having a good idea of what mortgage you can get and all your documents ready to go.
‘The vendor will go with the best offer but, if they have five of the same, you need to have done everything possible to give yourself the edge.’
LOANS REACH RECORD HIGH
Though mortgages are available for those with as little as a 5 per cent deposit, the average first-time buyer puts down 20 per cent.
At today’s average price, that means finding £29,680. In London, it is £53,000. As a result, new buyers are having to stretch to record levels.
Today, they typically borrow 3.3 times their annual income; in London, it is 3.7 times.
This week, City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority voiced concerns that soaring house prices could make borrowers take bigger risks to get on the ladder.
The Government’s Help to Buy scheme, which offers a 15 per cent deposit for buyers who have saved 5 per cent, has helped young people.
The number of loans made to first-time buyers soared by 23 per cent in 2013, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, and they account for 44 per cent of all house purchases.
With the regulator keeping a close eye on responsible lending from the banks, mortgage rules set to be introduced in April may make it harder still for first-time buyers to get loans.
The FCA expects that the tough rules will mean around one in seven borrowers who would currently be accepted will be turned down.
A further 40 per cent will probably end up with a smaller mortgage.
In London, Katie Johnson, 26, and boyfriend Chris Williams, 36, have spent five years saving £72,000.
They’ve already seen one house purchase fall through. Now, they’re praying a second won’t, as they are stuck in a chain and one of the buyers is having problems.
The couple began house-hunting last October. The plan was to find somewhere in South London between Morden, where Katie lives with her parents, and Battersea, where Chris rented.
They found a run-down, two-bedroom house in Colliers Wood — an unfashionable, scruffy and congested area, much further south than they had hoped to move.
Chris, a sports consultant, and Katie, a physiotherapist, approached Santander for a mortgage.
It took a while to pull together sufficient evidence to prove their income, as Chris is self-employed. Once everything was in order, the bank agreed to lend them £200,000.
A sale was agreed. They paid £1,000 for a survey and valuation, but then the move stalled.
The seller seemed to be taking an eternity to return paperwork and was getting nervous. Five months later, he pulled out of the deal.
Chris and Katie were upset and couldn’t understand why. All became clear when the seller put the house back on the market at a higher price.
They had to start looking all over again — and discovered prices had soared in that area since they had last looked.
If they wanted to buy now, they’d have to
We were refused home loan by mortgage computer because we hadn't piled up debts
By VICTORIA BISCHOFF
PUBLISHED: 00:06 GMT, 2 April 2014 | UPDATED: 00:06 GMT, 2 April 2014
2 View
comments
Gareth Thomas and his fiancee Jennifer Curtis have had the keys to their first home for just three days.
They’ve started peeling off the old cream wallpaper in the living room, but have had to stop after discovering damp.
From the top floor windows, you can see asbestos on the roof of the extension. The back door doesn’t shut and the window frames have gaps in them. You can feel the cold and damp through your feet. The walls are sticky and wet.
Struggle: First-time buyers Gareth Thomas and Jennifer Curtis
Struggle: First-time buyers Gareth Thomas and Jennifer Curtis
But none of this stops Gareth and Jennifer from loving this little, two-bedroom, semi-detached cottage in Billinghay, Lincolnshire. They have big plans for it.
Gareth says: ‘There is a lot of work to be done on the house. But in some ways, the effort we’re going to have to put into it is nothing compared with the lengths we had to go through to get a mortgage in the first place.’
The couple had put aside £8,600 by moving in with Jennifer’s parents for two years to save on rent. Gareth, assistant manager of a music shop, and nurse Jennifer worked overtime and stopped going on nights out with friends.
They started house-hunting last summer, after first approaching NatWest to get a mortgage agreement in principle, which effectively meant the bank would be happy to lend them up to £90,000.
They quickly found a property they wanted — a two-bedroom house in a nearby village.
An offer was accepted, but before they had even gone back to the bank, they were gazumped by a cash buyer. It put them back to square one.
So, they started house-hunting again, and found their home, which was on the market at £86,000.
Their offer at asking price was accepted, so they went back to NatWest to get a formal mortgage offer.
During a two-hour interview in a branch, they were asked about their spending habits, working hours and even plans they may have to start a family. NatWest then ran a credit check. At this point, their application was declined.
Astonishingly, as the couple had never been in debt or rented a home, this was held against them by the banks, as they had no track record of paying money on time.
Jennifer burst into tears. The 22-year-old says: ‘It was very personal. They even implied we’d never be able to get a mortgage again after we’d been turned down once.’
They turned to mortgage broker John Charcol, which found them a loan through Darlington Building Society.
They were approved because the Darlington does not use computerised credit checking, but rather looks at borrowers’ individual finances.
But Gareth and Jennifer’s problems weren’t over yet. Their building survey came back reporting the house was worth just £76,000 — not the £86,000 they were willing to pay.
With the deal about to fall through, they had to beg the seller, the daughter of the previous owner who had died, to drop the asking price by £10,000. She accepted.
Jennifer says: ‘We were lucky. This is a small village and everyone knows everyone. For that reason, the whole process was a lot more friendly and we’re really grateful that, due to that, we were able to negotiate the lower price.’
It will be months, though, before Jennifer and Gareth will be able to move in. They’ve got to replace the windows, and then get rid of the damp and dry rot before they even consider decorating.
GONE IN A DAY: PROPERTIES WITH 107 VIEWINGS
Many first-time buyers can only dream of snapping up a property for as little as Gareth and Jennifer.
But the problems they faced are becoming increasingly typical.
Britain’s housing market is booming — and average prices have climbed by 16 per cent in the past five years, according to Halifax.
First-time buyers pay an average £148,400 — £18,901 more than in 2007, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders. In London, the average price paid by a first-time buyer is £265,000.
Getting a deposit can take years for many. But scraping together this down payment is the first — and often least problematic — hurdle.
The fiercely competitive selling market and tough, new mortgage rules have created a battleground for buyers.
In the most sought-after regions, they are having to fight off bids from landlords, movers with piles of equity and cash buyers — all with bigger budgets and more experience at haggling over the price.
Estate agent Marsh & Parsons says that in South-West London, 48 people view every property.
In January, half of all properties sold went for more than the asking price. One in three were snapped up within two weeks. A two-bedroom, ground-floor flat in Balham, South-West London, advertised at £450,000, had 107 viewings and 53 offers. It eventually sold for £549,000.
Hamptons estate agents in Bath did twice as many viewings in January as the same month last year — one in every eight viewers made an offer.
Long haul: Hannah Gibbens and Leslie Walker spent five years scraping together £8,000 for a deposit
Long haul: Hannah Gibbens and Leslie Walker spent five years scraping together £8,000 for a deposit
Hannah Gibbens, 29, and Leslie Walker, 34, spent five years scraping together £8,000 for a deposit.
They were renting a flat in East Grinstead, West Sussex, where Hannah worked as a commercial manager at a legal firm.
Saving proved a struggle, so for six months they moved into a flat above the pub where Leslie worked. In a final push, they moved in with Hannah’s mum.
The couple planned to take advantage of the Government’s Help to Buy scheme. At the time, this limited them to buying a new-build property. But just as they started looking, Hannah’s father told them not to bother.
He was concerned that as everyone was snapping up new-build properties, they’d never be able to sell it on in later years. So, he gave them £20,000 — money he’d earmarked for their wedding later this year. They applied for a mortgage with Santander, but were turned down after failing the credit checks. Though they had rented, and so had a track record of paying bills, the couple had never been in debt.
They had been aware this may be a problem when applying for a mortgage, so had taken out a credit card the year before.
They had spent on it and paid it back in full to make them seem responsible borrowers. But the bank told them they hadn’t had the card long enough for it to count on their records.
So, the couple contacted brokers London & Country, who found them a mortgage with Halifax.
They presented six months’ bank statements and were approved to borrow £181,000. They put down a £24,000 deposit for a £205,000 three-bedroom house in Milton Keynes, Bucks, and in December they finally moved in.
David Hollingworth, of London & Country, says: ‘There is a serious lack of property available, but it’s not impossible to find somewhere. To set yourself apart, you need to show the seller you can move quickly.
‘This means having a good idea of what mortgage you can get and all your documents ready to go.
‘The vendor will go with the best offer but, if they have five of the same, you need to have done everything possible to give yourself the edge.’
LOANS REACH RECORD HIGH
Though mortgages are available for those with as little as a 5 per cent deposit, the average first-time buyer puts down 20 per cent.
At today’s average price, that means finding £29,680. In London, it is £53,000. As a result, new buyers are having to stretch to record levels.
Today, they typically borrow 3.3 times their annual income; in London, it is 3.7 times.
This week, City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority voiced concerns that soaring house prices could make borrowers take bigger risks to get on the ladder.
The Government’s Help to Buy scheme, which offers a 15 per cent deposit for buyers who have saved 5 per cent, has helped young people.
The number of loans made to first-time buyers soared by 23 per cent in 2013, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, and they account for 44 per cent of all house purchases.
With the regulator keeping a close eye on responsible lending from the banks, mortgage rules set to be introduced in April may make it harder still for first-time buyers to get loans.
The FCA expects that the tough rules will mean around one in seven borrowers who would currently be accepted will be turned down.
A further 40 per cent will probably end up with a smaller mortgage.
In London, Katie Johnson, 26, and boyfriend Chris Williams, 36, have spent five years saving £72,000.
They’ve already seen one house purchase fall through. Now, they’re praying a second won’t, as they are stuck in a chain and one of the buyers is having problems.
The couple began house-hunting last October. The plan was to find somewhere in South London between Morden, where Katie lives with her parents, and Battersea, where Chris rented.
They found a run-down, two-bedroom house in Colliers Wood — an unfashionable, scruffy and congested area, much further south than they had hoped to move.
Chris, a sports consultant, and Katie, a physiotherapist, approached Santander for a mortgage.
It took a while to pull together sufficient evidence to prove their income, as Chris is self-employed. Once everything was in order, the bank agreed to lend them £200,000.
A sale was agreed. They paid £1,000 for a survey and valuation, but then the move stalled.
The seller seemed to be taking an eternity to return paperwork and was getting nervous. Five months later, he pulled out of the deal.
Chris and Katie were upset and couldn’t understand why. All became clear when the seller put the house back on the market at a higher price.
They had to start looking all over again — and discovered prices had soared in that area since they had last looked.
If they wanted to buy now, they’d have to
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