Absolute shambles from broker's side... unsure where I stand!

fxyzfxyz

So as the title suggests, my mortgage application has turned into absolute shambles thanks to the mortgage company I've been going through - unsure if I'm allowed to name them so I won't. They have singlehandedly caused a number of unnecessary delays thanks to poor correspondence and miscommunication.

Started off all good, we were working with a 'head broker' who managed to get us a decent deal and a DIP with the Halifax considering our circumstances (partner is a non EU national on spouse visa). Memorandum of sale was issued on the 02/08 with clear instructions to complete within 28 days but full application was submitted on the 09/08 as head broker went on holiday and assigned the case to someone who did not deem it necessary to hurry up with submitting the application. A few days later payslips and bank statements requested for July as they had not submitted those (doh!) but I'm thinking no worries, as long as we complete in time it's all fine.

Head broker came back and assigned my case to another broker who I was told was now my 'first point of contact' and would deal with the rest of my case. He was a nice dude. Halifax requested employer references because we get paid in cash - this took quite a long time to clear as they posted them to our employers. Once those were in and, quoted by the broker who was my first point of contact 'verified by the HMRC' WITHIN 24 HOURS, he instructed the valuation. He tells me he'll let me know when thats booked in for, but then mysteriously disappears and doesn't inform me.

Now this is where it all turns into shambles - but please tell me if I am at any point being unreasonable!

The first point of contact guy requests p60s in the same call he tells me he's instructing valuation. I send those the next day, which is a bank holiday weekend Saturday. I get an email on WEDNESDAY from the head broker saying 'As you are aware, 'first point guy' is on HOLIDAY for 2 WEEKS, please send me your p60s!' WTH?! NO ONE TOLD ME HE IS ON HOLIDAY! I send this to him immediately and ask for an update in regards to the valuation and application. I hear nothing by Friday so I decide to call up the mortgage company only to find my application has been assigned to a 3rd broker who asks me to send in my p60s to him. By this point I am fuming as it has been an entire week since this p60 hooplah has been going on. He said the Halifax have been 'unable to verify my payslips and are having issues with it' (No one has mentioned this before) and need more documents to verify. I ask him why he didn't request for these as soon as he was assigned our case and tell him we have passed the date to complete and I am pregnant and we need to move in ASAP and this was specified when we signed up with them! He seemed unbothered and unapologetic and quite nonchantly informed me he would send in my p60s on Monday to which I told him quite sternly we've already wasted enough time and he has to send them today. I also asked him about the valuation and he said 'Oh we don't get the results in for that so quickly, you're gonna have to wait a few days'. I didn't trust a word he said so I called the Halifax myself later that day to get an update. The Halifax tells me income has been verified but our app has been picked up by the credit decisioning team hence why they've asked for p60s for their records (what does this mean?) and everything else looks good and no need to worry. p60s still not given to them btw. They also need bank statements for my partner but my company have not informed me of this and I have actually already provided the company with them so what the hell? Also, valuation had already taken place YESTERDAY and came out all good too.

Is it me or has this 3rd broker been telling me porkies??? Do I have a valid reason to be angry with these people for clearly delaying my app for an extra week when time is very dear to us? And based on all this information, where do we stand? Do we seem to be close to an offer? Judging by what the porkie-broker seems to be telling me, we have a while to go, but from the Halifax it seems like all is good and we're close to an offer and they're only waiting for the p60s 'for their records' - again no clue what this means!

I hateeee this waiting game :(:(:(:( and an unhelpful series of brokers does NOT help!!

sorry for the long post!!!! needed to get all that off my chest!

Lemonsqueezer78

Honestly? I think you have probably had quite unrealistic expectations about the rate of progression for these kinds of things, right from the start.

I do empathise, I promise. Life is obviously quite stressful for you at the moment and you clearly have a lot going on however from what you've written, I can't help but feel you are taking all these stresses and anxieties about moving quickly and are using them to completely blow up over what would be - in any other set of circumstances - a few pretty minor hiccups, delays and (most likely) innocent mis-communications, all of which are quite ordinary in transactions like mortgage applications, where a number of people are corresponding about a range of issues, questions and requests. And yes, people going on holiday does happen a lot at this time of the year.

Also, I would point out that it is not your brokers responsibility to ensure you "complete within 28 days". Their part is to help you to secure your finance, so whilst they do play a key role in all this - you cannot hold them responsible when your frankly unrealistic plans to complete within a month inevitably begin to unravel.

What they probably should have done at the outset is highlighted that your 4 week time frame could not be guaranteed and that it would in any case be outside of their control given everything else that needs to fall in to place before you can complete, however I strongly suspect they could probably tell that whatever they said to or did for you, it was likely to cause you frustration and anger, so they probably just chose to ride with it and hope for the best.

Which, to be honest, is all anyone (including you) can do when it comes to buying and selling houses.

That said, I hope this rant helped and that the rest of your move goes smoothly and speedily.

csgohan4

your not using an estate agent broker are you?

Thrugelmir

fxyzfxyz wrote: »

Memorandum of sale was issued on the 02/09 with clear instructions to complete within 28 days but full application was submitted on the 09/09 as head broker went on holiday and assigned the case to someone who did not deem it necessary to hurry up with submitting the application.

Today is only the 4th September. So how could the application be submitted on the 9th?

Halifax requested employer references because we get paid in cash - this took quite a long time to clear as they posted them to our employers.

Why would they not post this request directly to your employers?

an unhelpful series of brokers does NOT help!!

How often have you contacted them? You aren't their only client. Wasting peoples time can result in being ignored rather than helped.

ACG

It sounds like its L&C.

dunstonh

Sounds like a salesforce or internet/telephone style service considering the way you have been passed around. These services don't tend to have the quality of the local brokers who see you through from beginning to end. That said, your expectations were likely unrealistic and that should have been brought up. Whilst it is possible to get to completion on that time, the fact you are paid in cash and non-eu national on spouse VISA are things that can delay. It is also summer time and holidays are common and things can slow down a little in that period. All things that you should ahve been prepped for.

ACG

Im not sure I agree that he has had unrealisti expectations.
He has gone to a broker and told them of the time scales.
A factfind was completed.
At that point the broker would/should have gone to the lender and run it by them. That includes would you accept it, can you do it those timescales and what documents are you likely to need.

Only asking for P60s after the application has been submitted for example is pretty poor. I would have been 99% sure that the lender would have wanted P60s based on them being paid cash.

The broker should have come back after doing the research and set the expectations. The customer can do no more than state what is needed, it then falls on the broker to say it can or can not be done.

Lemonsqueezer78

That's actually what I said... the broker should have managed her expectations.

My point about unrealistic expectations referred more to the overall time frames for completion which is aggressive @ 28 days whichever way you cut it... And attempting to drive everything forward according to such a short time frame (regardless of whether or not the OP feels it is justified by her circumstances) is still pretty much setting yourself up for failure... or at least enormous amounts of stress. Which is why every (relatively minor) bump in the road is causing to OP to freak out.

I'm not saying her broker has been great - I'm just saying that its actually a set of circumstances the OP has created for themselves that is actually the root cause for why these small issues are resulting in such high anxiety.

fxyzfxyz

Thank you everyone for your replies. After my rant I did take a step back and think about my expectations and perhaps that they were unrealistic/I'm being too pusht. However, my broker assured me I would get an offer in 2 weeks - if this wasn't possible he shouldn't have said such a thing in the first place, no? Additionally I agree with ACG - p60s were a very basic piece of document which I had on hand on my first meeting with them which they should have taken from me - but they said they apparently don't need them. This would on it's own have saved a week of delays.

Also, my anger with them stems more from the fact that they've spent the last week faffing around with my p60 and it's still not in with the Halifax despite having sent it 5 working days ago. And then also being giving conflicting information from the Halifax and the 3rd guy in charge of my case RE valuation results and income verification. Surely being told conflicting information is a sign of a poor service?

I'm hoping tomorrow brings some more information and perhaps some good news. Admittedly, my own personal position is making me want to rush through to offer ASAP but our circumstances make us a difficult case and by default a lengthier one. I'm just disappointed I was reassured otherwise and am now not being kept in a loop about whats going on. Being 37 weeks pregnant doesn't help

fxyzfxyz

Thrugelmir wrote: »

Today is only the 4th September. So how could the application be submitted on the 9th?



Why would they not post this request directly to your employers?



How often have you contacted them? You aren't their only client. Wasting peoples time can result in being ignored rather than helped.

Sorry I meant August! I will amend
Also yes they did send them to employers, I meant to say that the employer references took up quite a bit of time too not putting this delay down to the broker.
And last week I have contacted them through email twice (no reply either times) and only phoned in on Friday as I'm not comfortable with the idea of pestering and annoying them. I know I'm not their only client and they run a busy company so I do avoid wasting their time and don't expect to be informed every time someone touches my application. But being told about major things EG valuation being booked and taking place, valuation coming out fine and app being referred to CDT is something I would expect as standard.

fxyzfxyz

Lemonsqueezer78 wrote: »

Honestly? I think you have probably had quite unrealistic expectations about the rate of progression for these kinds of things, right from the start.

I do empathise, I promise. Life is obviously quite stressful for you at the moment and you clearly have a lot going on however from what you've written, I can't help but feel you are taking all these stresses and anxieties about moving quickly and are using them to completely blow up over what would be - in any other set of circumstances - a few pretty minor hiccups, delays and (most likely) innocent mis-communications, all of which are quite ordinary in transactions like mortgage applications, where a number of people are corresponding about a range of issues, questions and requests. And yes, people going on holiday does happen a lot at this time of the year.

Also, I would point out that it is not your brokers responsibility to ensure you "complete within 28 days". Their part is to help you to secure your finance, so whilst they do play a key role in all this - you cannot hold them responsible when your frankly unrealistic plans to complete within a month inevitably begin to unravel.

What they probably should have done at the outset is highlighted that your 4 week time frame could not be guaranteed and that it would in any case be outside of their control given everything else that needs to fall in to place before you can complete, however I strongly suspect they could probably tell that whatever they said to or did for you, it was likely to cause you frustration and anger, so they probably just chose to ride with it and hope for the best.

Which, to be honest, is all anyone (including you) can do when it comes to buying and selling houses.

That said, I hope this rant helped and that the rest of your move goes smoothly and speedily.

Thank you for your response really has put a lot into perspective. I agree, they should have made it clear from the outset that things wouldn't be happening quickly - I quote the head broker when I say I was informed it would take 'roughly 2 weeks so I should not worry about not completing on time'. Having said that, being stressed over my pregnancy and future housing (currently with parents) is definitely blowing up everything x100 for me. I'm more wound up over the fact that this last week they've been faffing around with my p60 and have been giving my conflicting information to the Halifax! Who do I believe?!?!