Halifax - how can I escalate to get long running issue resolved?

boots_babe

Hi,

Our mortgage offer with Halifax was received several weeks ago, and we've completed all conveyancing. Only 1 thing is stopping us from exchanging which is a query outstanding, which our solicitor first asked of Halifax 3 weeks ago. 

Solicitor has tried really hard to get a response - called, emailed and faxed. But he just keeps being told to wait. I've also been trying, via emailing my Halifax mortgage advisor, and calling the mortgage line. Most recently I was given conflicting information on 2 different calls, so I know that one person or the other at Halifax has lied to me.

I've begged them to escalate the issue so we can get a response to the query, and hence get on with exchange. They say there's nothing more they can do. I've asked what the SLA is for a response, they tell me there isn't one!!

I'm at the end of my tether, this has been going on for over 3 weeks now, and we're being chased by our buyer and vendor to get on with exchange. I have raised a complaint, but that just got a standard response back saying they were busy and would take a long time to respond to the complaint, so that's clearly not going to help. I've tried social media, but they say they cannot comment on individual accounts via social.

Does anyone have any other contact details I can use, to try to get someone who can apply some common sense and hopefully take ownership of answering this 1 outstanding query for us? Everyone I've contacted has effectively shrugged their shoulders and said it's not their fault.

Many thanks.

Thrugelmir

Unfortunately you'll just have to be patient and wait for the bank to respond to the solicitor.  

What's the nature of the query? 

boots_babe

I wouldn't mind being patient if someone would give me some information about the SLA, but they tell me there isn't one, which is very worrying. I've been really friendly but firm each time I've called, but keep being told there's nothing they can do, that it's with their valuation company who are external to Halifax, and so they can't do anything. I do understand this, but they can't simply abdicate responsibility, it's not fair to customers like myself. 

The issue is that the septic tank is not compliant with the latest regs, our vendor is paying to replace it, but due to huge demand at the moment we can't find anyone who can do it for at least a couple of months. So the question is, will they allow us to complete, and do replacement work afterwards. Property is valued at £665k, mortgage is only £250k, mortgage offer states it must be worth at least £417k. 

Replacement work will cost £10 to £15k, even if I rounded that up hugely to £100k, the house would still be then worth £565k, well above the £417k required. So I was vaguely hoping they'd either give the go ahead, or perhaps say we can go ahead but they retain say £50k or something, until we complete the work.

Either way, we need a decision so that our chain can get on and plan. At this point we could be moving in a couple of weeks, or a couple of months. What I think is unreasonable in all of this, is the open-ended nature of the query, it can't be right that we must wait indefinitely whilst risking losing our buyers.

Thrugelmir

boots_babe said:

I wouldn't mind being patient if someone would give me some information about the SLA, 

With majority of staff working from home SLA's will be out the window.  Delays are unavoidable at the current time. 

The owner should have been aware of the new requirements and addressed the matter earlier.