Not on electoral register

stmatt

Hi

We are applying for a mortgage but just realised that we are not on the electoral register at our current property. Is this likely to cause problems?

property.advert

Yes. Are you on at another property ? If you have a void, where have you been paying council tax ?

The electoral roll is the prime piece of information they look for and without a good reason, you'd be pretty much declined for everything if you were never on an electoral roll.

Wh05apk

Possibly, depdends on LTV, existing credit etc, it will be unlikely to decline just on this, but may be the tipping factor if everything else is marginal.

Any reason why you are breaking the law and not being on voters roll?

stmatt

Hi

We were previously on the electoral register but sold house March 2010, then lived in Oz until Oct 2011. We're frantically trying to get ourselves on the register now but it won't be updated until 1st April.

herbiesjp

It can imrpove you credit score with a lender's scoring system, but there are so many factors that come into play.

It's best to be registered to improve things.

Not being on there does not mean you will declined, as long as you have a good credit history and maintained credit links in the UK while away.

stmatt

Phew, feel a bit more less worried now. We've always had a good credit score, kept our bank accounts in this country, pay credit cards off every month, and have good savings so fairly low LTV, so fingers crossed it will be ok.

Wh05apk

stmatt wrote: »

Hi

We were previously on the electoral register but sold house March 2010, then lived in Oz until Oct 2011. We're frantically trying to get ourselves on the register now but it won't be updated until 1st April.

That's a genuine reason, so wouldn't worry too much, get yourslf on VR now.

Lender may want to see bank statements from Oz so they can assess how you managed your credit whilst there, as they would not be able to do any credit check on Oz address.

herbiesjp

Wh05apk wrote: »

Any reason why you are breaking the law and not being on voters roll?

Are you sure? Not everyone is entitled to, or wants to, vote.

Wh05apk

herbiesjp wrote: »

Are you sure? Not everyone is entitled to, or wants to, vote.

Desire/entitlement to vote is not relevant, but I thought it was a legal requirement to be on votors/electoral role?

Can't find anything on electoral roll site, but from Equifax: "It is a legal requirement that all occupiers of eighteen years of age or over who are eligible to vote are named. 17 year-olds who will attain their 18th birthday in the next 12 months are also listed on the registration cards"

JSR

Wh05apk wrote: »

Desire/entitlement to vote is not relevant, but I thought it was a legal requirement to be on votors/electoral role?

It's a legal requirement for the head of household to accurately fill in and return the official voter registration form they send out once per year. That's all. It's not a legal requirement for individuals to be on the electoral roll.