Mortgage Valuers (Which lenders use which valuers?) - Advice Please

isb21

I want to remortgage over the next couple of months, but after been hit with a low valuation by e.surv when I mortgaged with YBS 3 years ago, I want to instruct my own valuation before I apply to remortage. I am considering the Post Office, Northern Rock and RBS at the moment and I was wondering if anyone new which companies they use for carrying out mortgage valuations? I want to make sure I use the company the lender uses to do an independant valuation before I apply and ensure that I dont go through the credit check process, damage my credit score and then find out the valuation is not sufficient anyway.

Grateful for advice, I tried asking the lenders, but couldnt get a straight answer.

GMS

Call e surv, Countrywide and Colleys and ask them if they deal with the lender you want.

Check for comparable sales in the area to get an idea before paying out for a valuation.

Wh05apk

If you get an "independent" valuation of £200k, but the lender says £180k what will you do?

As GMS says check out recent sales in your are, and based your valuation on those, then get a remortgage with a free valutaion to confirm, and work from there.

A couple of credit checks really won't make much difference, if you go down the high street and go to every lender and get 6 in a day, that may cause a problem, but 1 every couple of weeks really shouldn't make much difference, save your money and let the lender pay.

Meeper

Lenders generally use a panel of valuers, not just one firm. Halifax use Colleys, but that's because they are an LBG Company. If you called up Countrywide, for example, they would tell you that they deal with about 200 lenders. But some of those lenders also use Connells, Colleys, e.surv, and many more. You could get a survey done with Countrywide, as they are used by Santander, get a satisfactory response, apply to Santander, and then they will instruct Connells instead.

You can't control that process.

CRAIGSVILLE

I have just applied for a Post Office 5 yr fix without the free valuation and legal fees because it worked out a lot cheaper than the fee free product over the 5 years.
When applying for the mortgage , they ask you which surveyor you want to use for the valuation, which is probably better than using their own surveyor.
I only applied on Thursday night, and the surveyors are coming around on Monday!!
Hopefully my own choice of surveyor will give me a better valuation than thier own.

Hope this helps

Craigsville