Should we be panicking? Barclays/Woolwich

Lionel_Thinkbag

(Moved from Housebuying board)

Hi all, we're FTB, using Help to Buy (not a new build)

Submitted all relevant P60's and payslips etc etc (in branch with mortgage adviser). Barclays valuation done on the 25th Aug. They agreed that the house is worth what we offered. Got a copy of the report - we read through it and it suggested getting an additional damp and timber report - so we got in contact with our adviser who said we should get it done because the offer would depend on that. (The way the report was worded was ambigious, and we didn't receive any letter/email from Barclays saying we had to get it done and honestly I don't know if we would have heard anything if we hadn't asked)

So we got the damp and timber report done, and sent it off to our adviser.

Anyway, using the online trackit service it has said since the 27th Aug that 'we have approved your valuation and will be preparing your offer shortly'

"Shortly?" So last Thursday the other half called Barclays - not our particular adviser who has not been in contact since we asked about the damp/timber report - and was told that 'everything was fine and it is with the Help to Buy team'

Now, as much as he lights up my life, he isn't the most tenacious of people and didn't think to ask 'how long can we expect to wait?' or something along those lines. So we're none the wiser. I would ring up myself but the application is solely in his name so they wouldn't talk to me anyway.

So, does anyone have any idea what might be going on? Is it normal to take this long? This is the furthest in we've ever got with any house purchase (we're up to #4 due to a lot of gazumping and one terrible survey) Right now I just want an answer, even if it's 'computer says no' just so we can move on with our lives :rotfl:

Thanks

ACG

Assuming they have had the damp and timber report for a week or more (I cant tell from your post but maybe im scanning past it), I would chase it up.

Lionel_Thinkbag

Yes, sorry I should have said we sent it to them the Sunday before last. We'll get in contact with them tomorrow (hopefully!)

amnblog

Lionel_Thinkbag wrote: »

does anyone have any idea what might be going on?
Thanks

From experience, Barclays may not.

It is not usual for a case to get lost and forgotten.


Go back to your contact and insist they sort this today.

Lionel_Thinkbag

Update:

So my OH got in touch with the mortgage adviser the day after my last post, and she told us that we had to complete and sign another help to buy form because the one we had submited wasn't clear and that she would post out a new one. Again I get the feeling if we hadn't called up we wouldn't have known about this.

A few days later happened across a blank form in all the bumpf, so we signed that and sent it off, which is just as well because we haven't recieved a new form at all (this was all about a week ago) I sent it 1st class recorded and I know it was delivered but I got no response to my email asking for confirmation that they got it and if it was filled in correctly.

Am I being unreasonable in being quite peed off about all this? We basically aren't getting any communication from Barclays and they're online tracking thing is useless. I want to call them up and be 'assertive' but my OH thinks it's pointless and we might annoy them. But they should at least have an idea of timeframes, even if there is a backlog? To have an approved valuation on the 27th Aug and now we're 23rd Sept and have heard nothing?

BelleNI

Hi,


We're also trying to deal with Barclays without much luck. I was told that they have a backlog and it's taking three days for any post to be opened. I have taken the approach of calling practically every day to see what is happening because, as you've found out, they don't tell you unless you ask. It's helped a bit but the service leaves a lot to be desired. Good luck!