Halifax Valuation Fee Refund?

FTB2020LDN

Hi!
I applied (through a broker) for a mortgage with Halifax. The information that was put forward was my basic salary, my bonus and lunch money I receive as a taxed benefit with my salary each month.
Halifax had all this information and booked and carried out the valuation (I paid 200). They then came back and asked if the lunch money was a taxed benefit, because if it wasn't, they apparently couldn't use it as a salary towards the mortgage. I confirmed that it was taxed. They came back and said it's against their policy to accept lunch money and offered me less than the AIP, so I had to decline.
Could I get the £200 fee back from Halifax? I am a first time buyer, so new to all this, but seems unfair that they had the information and went head with the valuation even if they knew they didn't accept lunch money? I wonder why they asked questions about it being taxed? 
As info for other people using Halifax - from application to offer it was 1 week, so very good timing!
I've now gone to a different broker and application went to Barclays last week. They've instructed the valuation but it's not booked in yet. Hopefully not too long to wait!
Thanks in advance!

jamielutz1987

Strictly speaking, if the lunch money was the difference between meeting/failing affordability, the first broker should have checked whether it was acceptable to the lender before submitting an application.

FTB2020LDN

jamielutz1987 said:

Strictly speaking, if the lunch money was the difference between meeting/failing affordability, the first broker should have checked whether it was acceptable to the lender before submitting an application.

Yes, I thought the same. But Halifax had this information when they gave the AIP and then asked questions about the lunch money before saying it was against policy which seems bizarre. Do you think I've got any chance of getting it back from them?

jamielutz1987

AFAIK, the AIP is based on total income as input by the broker, it doesn't ask for splits.

I think you have a better chance of getting some/all of the wasted valuation fee from the first broker as opposed to Halifax. Maybe consider a formal complaint?

The broker should have known that Halifax doesn't accept lunch allowance.

FTB2020LDN

jamielutz1987 said:

AFAIK, the AIP is based on total income as input by the broker, it doesn't ask for splits.

I think you have a better chance of getting some/all of the wasted valuation fee from the first broker as opposed to Halifax. Maybe consider a formal complaint?

The broker should have known that Halifax doesn't accept lunch allowance.

Thanks very much!

[Deleted User]

Agree with Jamie,  the request for a refund should go via the broker. They placed the case with an unsuitable lender without doing the proper research. At the very least on tight cases they should have uploaded a memo requesting the valuation be placed on hold until the underwriting was done.  
I doubt they would have a leg to stand on if you were to complain