Write a review

Member Profile

Name: Graham

Most Recent Reviews (1/1)

View All

Dreadfully picky, pedantic. Worst Buy-to-Let lender in the market

I burned more than half a year stuck on Standard Variable Rate because of all the hoops I had to jump through for them to allow me to complete the re-mortgage with them. They won't accept a common AST contract from a high-street letting agency, they require their own terms (containing so much legalese as would earn zero stars in a plain English award) to be written into the tenancy agreement. Some of the terms ought to be illegal but they wouldn't even accept sensible changes to clarify their meaning (for example in the terms I have to sign over full ownership of my house to them - no, not just on the condition if I default on the mortgage, I have to unconditionally give them my house). I even had to change the tenancy contract (which was only legally possible by happenstance) before I could meet their requirements. They also flatly refused to allow me to transfer part of the house and mortgage to my spouse for tax advantages so the whole re-mortgage was a waste of time and money. My only option is to look at how much more I have to waste on re-mortgaging all over again with a sane lender. Here's an excerpt of some their requirements of a Tenancy Agreement: It must be.. "Of a term not less than six months and no longer than 12 months." It must... "Not contain any Option to renew the Tenancy or extend the term of the Tenancy." So either I have to throw out my tenants every year and/or pay for a new tenancy contract to be drawn up with the same tenant every year. Total waste of money. It must... "Contain a proviso that if the rents payable thereunder or any part of the rent shall be in arrears for more than twenty eight days after the same shall have become due whether legally demanded or not or if there shall be a breach by the Tenant of the Tenant’s obligations under the Tenancy Agreement then the Landlord may re-enter the premises comprised in the tenancy or any part thereof in the name of the whole and immediately thereon the tenancy will absolutely determine without prejudice to any other rights and remedies of the Landlord." Got that? Easy to understand? Then after jumping through all these hoops you still have to "bend over" to sign this statement: "We the undersigned assign to the Society all of our title and interest in and to the rent arising under any tenancy agreement relating to the property to be mortgaged. We will execute any further assignment in whatever form decided by the Society if we are required to do so." So according to this they are now the landlords and the rent should just go straight to them, and if they want the fillings in my teeth I have to hand them over too! They refused to modify one word of this to clarify the intent. Utterly rubbish. I can't believe they got nominated Reviewed on: 3rd February 2020