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Any recent experiences with HSBC mortgages - fast or slow?

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Hi all,


Currently shopping around for mortgages and have identified HSBC as one of the cheapest - but a lot of recent reviews suggest they're extremely slow/require a lot of chasing up, etc. Does anyone have recent experience with them, good or bad?


We've just had a house offer accepted, so are looking to make an application in a couple of days. We're not anticipating any problems with the application itself, fingers crossed - we had a chat with an estate agent-affiliated mortgage adviser a few months ago and obtained a decision in principle for a mortgage 30k higher than we now need (decision will now have expired - not sure which lenders she looked at!). We are both employed, have no debts or other significant financial commitments, and have 20% deposit - also renting at the moment (as will the vendors be after completion), so no chain.


My main issue is that I'm expecting to receive a formal offer for a new job next week - so would be trying to hold out until completion before I changed jobs, as HSBC (I'm guessing like most other lenders) don't like applicants being in a probation period! Have already told the new company that I wouldn't be handing in notice immediately, but obviously I can't keep them hanging on for months if the process is going to be super-slow. Realise it's bad timing that this has all happened together, but the job has come slightly out of the blue.


Would appreciate anyone's experiences - or recommendations of other lenders that have been nice and efficient recently. I don't dare get the agreement sorted then hand in my notice, in case of some kind of random check/audit before completion! Many thanks.

Comments

  • Thrugelmir
    Thrugelmir Posts: 89,546 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    catclaires wrote: »
    My main issue is that I'm expecting to receive a formal offer for a new job next week - so would be trying to hold out until completion before I changed jobs, as HSBC (I'm guessing like most other lenders) don't like applicants being in a probation period!

    HSBC will certainly have grave concerns if for any reason they find out that you've been withholding information from them.
  • betmunch
    betmunch Posts: 3,126 Forumite
    I would get the Mortgage secured on the new job.

    You don't know how long the conveyance is going to take so you could be stalling on accepting the new job for months
    I am a Mortgage Adviser
    You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a Mortgage Adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice.
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