Mortgage 'sealing fee'?

piggler

Hello.
I've just registered after lurking for a couple of days in the hope of getting some advice.

To cut a long story short, I lost my partner a little under six months ago and she left everything to me. There is still a mortgage on the house in her name but as I'm now in a position to pay that off once I've the probate process has finished, I asked the lender for a statement to get a final figure. They've done this, but are quoting me an extra £225 as a "sealing fee". Is this something that I'd be able to avoid paying? The bank have been a pain throughout this entire time, mainly of the 'left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing' kind, so the prospect of handing them an extra payment doesn't fill me with joy. If there's no avoiding it, then it'll get paid but it was hardly a conscious decision to be where I am now; given the choice, I'd rather not be in this position.

da_rule

This one is probably not something you can avoid, although you can ask.

The sealing fee represents the cost of them preparing the form that is needed to remove the mortgage charge from your title register (DS1), which needs to either be sealed using the company's common seal or signed by 2 directors (or 1 director and company secretary). Whether this fee is inflated is another matter.

minimike2

Very doubtful that the sealing fee will be waived.

It is standard on all mortgages and detailed at the outset of the mortgage. The best you can hope for is that given the circumstances of the redemption of the mortgage that they would waive it as a gesture of goodwill. You can ask, but I would be suprised if they did so.