ID Verification

AliceBanned

I am struggling to work with my conveyancer as I cannot provide sufficient ID re a £2000 gifted deposit due to the person gifting being an elderly relative with no passport or driving licence. He can provide address and source of funds. I am at an impasse with my conveyancer because they won't budge on this, and I think in the circumstances, they really could perform sufficient checks based on the fact that they have lived at the same address for 50 years and the other documentation. It is the photo ID that I can't access. My conveyancer suggested asking his GP to verify but during this time, seriously? I've phoned the GP and they said they won't do it. The only other option is an independent solicitor via zoom and it all seems so complicated for him. It's driving me nuts as I think a better conveyancer would not be so OTT in the circumstances, on balance there is plenty of evidence that we are not part of a drugs cartel. 

I had already had enough of the conveyancer due to poor service and communication so far. Earlier on they said bus pass would be fine, so my relative struggled to the Post Office, got his bus pass verified, only to be told that this is not acceptable. I raised a formal complaint with the solicitor and will continue to take this further with the Legal Ombudsman, as well as other issues. It is a fixed fee arrangement so I am keen to just leave them and find a rational solicitor who actually believes in customer service rather than be ordered around like this and given inaccurate information, and worse have my relatives put through the ringer. If anyone can advise it would be helpful. I can't see a way out and I've told them I genuinely dont' see how I can overcome this obstacle so maybe should pull out of the sale altogether, just really don't think it's working. 

AskAsk

is there a typo?  did you say 2 grand?  if so, why did you even declare that as a deposit gift!  you could just have said that is a birthday or christmas gift.  it is a tiny amount of money.

i am surprised the solicitor is being so pedantic for such a small amount.  are you sure you don't mean £20k?

AliceBanned

£2k! I agree ridiculously pedantic.

I had to declare it for mortgage application. The only way I could borrow the amount I needed.

AliceBanned

I think it’s risky to have a sum even £2k suddenly appearing in my account. According to many on this forum it should be declared as gifted deposit. It’s clear from my finances that all my funds are needed and more to achieve the mortgage. I would probably be questioned by this pedantic conveyancer anyway about it.

AliceBanned

Thanks yes a friend has offered to do that so maybe I’ll do it that way. As they are so pedantic though I can’t believe they won’t dig too deeply into it and ask why a friend would suddenly give me the money. I’m not sure because the lender may also have a problem with me changing source of gifted deposit.

AliceBanned

I’ve even emailed the conveyancer to say they are obstructing my right to a legal process as this is so unreasonable, and I have clear evidence of it being difficult to provide photo ID. They don’t have to operate on a blander basis they are allowed discretion. But they are too stupid to use it.

AliceBanned

Blanket basis - autocorrect 

davidmcn

If you're buying with a mortgage then the lender will require to approve the source of any funds going towards the equity - so it can't be "unverified" or (usually) anything other than a close relative.

Otherwise, there are no general rules for what is a de minimus amount which wouldn't require to be checked for the purposes of money-laundering regulations, so I wouldn't consider it all that unusual to ask where the £2k has come from.

But I'd expect them to be able to cope with somebody who doesn't have a driving licence or passport. Can you get them to escalate it to somebody else within the firm?

AskAsk

AliceBanned said:

Thanks yes a friend has offered to do that so maybe I’ll do it that way. As they are so pedantic though I can’t believe they won’t dig too deeply into it and ask why a friend would suddenly give me the money. I’m not sure because the lender may also have a problem with me changing source of gifted deposit.

they are not really interested in why someone would give you the money, as long as they have dotted the i and crossed the t, that is all they are concerned about.  they have a list of procedures they have to follow and they are not making decisions outside of that list.

that list states they need photo ID and they won't budge from it because they are working to a list.  stupid but they are being just that.

as someone said, it will be better if you can get a family member to give you the money as that is more believable than a friend, unless it was your boyfriend.

if they ask why someone else has given you the money then say that because they refused to accept the other gift without photo ID so you got someone else to give you the money.  other relations can give you money at any time.  there is no law against that.

davidmcn

AskAsk said:

if they ask why someone else has given you the money then say that because they refused to accept the other gift without photo ID so you got someone else to give you the money.  other relations can give you money at any time.  there is no law against that.

But as above, even if they have adequate ID etc it would need to be a source approved by the lender.

AliceBanned

Ok thanks both. My friend would say he is my boyfriend for this purpose. I’m so fed up of this that I don’t care as long as I’m not running round in circles. In actual fact the £2k went on my debt repayment which was part of getting the mortgage agreed. I take it they count that as equity?