Mortgage Exit Fees successes and failures

Sue0811 · 2 May 2007 at 1:26PM

Have just taken the time to read Martin's tips today or reclaiming mortgage fees and phoned the number for our previous mortgage broker (given in Martins list) and have managed to retrieve £75 straight away - cheque is in the post! Big thanks to the Money Saving Expert

kristeneh · 2 May 2007 at 1:36PM

I have just contacted my previous mortgage lender Principality Building Society who we left last year. They said that because my morgage was taken out after 1995 I wasn't entitled to any refund because my contracts contained clauses allowing them to "vary the fee over time", they say that because we signed this contract then we cannot claim anything now.

Any ideas??

badboybinks · 2 May 2007 at 1:54PM

Thanks Martin< I have just made two phone calls and got back 187.50. 150.00 from the natwest who were very nice and 37.50 from the woolwich who were also very quick and very nice. Its really woth having a go after all it was your money they took - so get it back - they are expecting your call is all I can say. I have just posted a letter to natwest asking for bank charges back too will keep you posted.

Craighoy · 2 May 2007 at 1:55PM

Transferred from Halifax to Abbey 6 months ago. Fee was £175 so wasnt holding out much hope. Called Halifax - turns out we transferred internally as well earlier on - that gave us £20 - plus - should have been charged £40 not £175. Thats £155 total to be returned - they're sending a cheque. Not even a letter written! One 2 minute phone call with just an account number to go on. Wow! Easy as that! Very Impressed.:beer:

eruthp1976 · 2 May 2007 at 2:31PM

Just phoned The Woolwich. All I had was an address and a choice of surnames (got married around the time of the house move, 2003).
VERY helpful lady + 5minute phone call = £85 refund plus £12.87 interest, all going straight into my account within 5 days.

Thanks Martin, more money saved.

Am now off to write to Nationwide - hope they can go on as little info as The Woolwich!!!

Julie_Tunnicliffe · 2 May 2007 at 2:36PM

Hi Martin
thanks to you and the tip about mortgage admin fee reclaiming I am booking a weekend break for me and my husband! I changed mortgage two years ago and was charged £225 admin fee. For the price of a phone call Lloyds/Cheltenham and Gloucester are refunding the full amount plus interest - and they dealt with it very politely indeed.

Thanks again - keep up the good work!

Julie T
Winchester:
T

alicecamp · 2 May 2007 at 2:45PM

I sent a letter to Lloyds TSB asking for £125 back as my MEAF was £225 and my original contract stated £100. They sent me a cheque for £45 initially. When I looked into it again I realised that although I took my mortgage with me when I moved house I was given a new mortgage number as I had changed some of the mortgage to repayment. When I moved they had charged me a MEAF of £180, which I was told by my solicitor that I could reclaim immediately as I had not closed the mortgage. Anyway I wrote back to them and explained this and they sent me another cheque for £80 - oh yes and they sent me interest too on the whole lot! No fuss, no questions -I'm delighted and I have now reclaimed £25 back from A&L for another Mortgage too. Thanks Martin and MSE for making me aware of all this.
I have since emailed all my friends and work colleagues and urged them to read the article on MSE about Mortgage fees. At least five of them have successfully reclaimed their MEAFs successfully!

MSE is my bible, but this my first post, felt I need to share my success, bank charges are next...............:T

Emma7371 · 2 May 2007 at 3:27PM

My previous mortgage was with Skipton, and I did check a few months ago to see what I was charged for my exit fee - it was only £75 and that was 4 years ago, so I didnt bother trying to claim anything back.
However after seeing Martin on GMTV last week saying to claim back anything over £50, I thought I would!
I rang Skipton and they said that if I didnt think that the £75 was fair then to write to customer services. I did this, and today I have received a cheque for £30. They said the fee on the outset of my mortgage was £45 so they have refunded me the difference - no problems at all, and they were very prompt at sending the cheque.

I know this is not a large amount in the grand scheme of things, but to anyone reading this that has only paid a smaller amount for their exit fees, it is definitely worth ringing the company and asking for it back.

scav · 2 May 2007 at 3:46PM

Just rang Halifax.

We moved from them to Woolwich 3 years ago and paid £100 exit fee - should have been £50 so they are sending a cheque in the post.
All sorted over the phone straight away - no forms or waiting.

:j