Santander disregarding shift allowance in their calculation? Any advice?

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Hi guys!
Just spoke to my mortgage advisor and Santander has come back to us saying they calculated my annual income at £24.000 because they disregard the 25.3% shift allowance we get each week on top of our basic rate! We work 12 hour continental shifts, 4 days on and 4 off. The shift allowance is paid because of this, every week no matter what! It's not a bonus or something you might not get from time to time! It's part of our pay structure!
Anyone has any idea if there is a way to prove to the underwriters that it's part of my actual income! I have years and years worth of payslips, and it's on every single one of them! Always the same amount (obviously changing in accordance with pay rises)
Just spoke to my mortgage advisor and Santander has come back to us saying they calculated my annual income at £24.000 because they disregard the 25.3% shift allowance we get each week on top of our basic rate! We work 12 hour continental shifts, 4 days on and 4 off. The shift allowance is paid because of this, every week no matter what! It's not a bonus or something you might not get from time to time! It's part of our pay structure!
Anyone has any idea if there is a way to prove to the underwriters that it's part of my actual income! I have years and years worth of payslips, and it's on every single one of them! Always the same amount (obviously changing in accordance with pay rises)
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We eventually went with Natwest, they take everything into account, and not a bad rate
The payslips provided were all for the same rate of pay, so the amount is consistently the same (it actually says shift allowance 25.3% next to the amount in brackets, so it's pretty obvious that the amount is 25.3% of my basic salary) I also do overtime quite a bit, which varies weekly, so if they disregard that, that's understandable. But the shift allowance is part of my weekly pay! That's why it's annoying!
I also have another question, if you don't mind! We are JUST under the affordability because of this whole disregarding scenario! The only debt we have is a loan that has £4500 Left on it at £270 a month! We have the facility to settle this (even though we wanted to spend the money on the property) so that would free up £270 a month. Do you think by doing this there's a decent chance that we get the offer (providing the valuation of the property checks out)? I mean that amount would push us right over the affordability threshold. But I don't want to risk paying the loan off just to get turned down! Our credit scores are excellent (I know you said they don't mean that much) we NEVER defaulted on anything ever, at this or our previous address, and Santander is happy with everything but my pay! I know it's like asking how long is a piece of string! Just thought you could tell me your professional view on this strategy. Haha!
Many Thanks
Do they not take shift allowance as part of their criteria or are you being singled out for some reason? If it is criteria, I think you need to look for a new lender, if it is just you then your broker needs to go and argue your case for you.
Yes, our broker said the same thing. NatWest was actually the second on the list when he was looking through the rates! We just need to decide if we're going to try and make this work, or start all over again! The biggest fear I have, is that by doing a full application with Santander, they did a hard-search or whatever that's called and, I wonder how much damage that caused, with regards to another mortgage application!
It's the criteria, unfortunately. We can get round the issue by paying off a loan, so we're over the affordability, but I was hoping to solve it without having to spend the money on the remainder of our loan. I wanted to spend it on the property! Oh crap!
I can not see you getting them to accept your shift allowance personally. I would either find a new lender or find a way to make it work with Santander within criteria.
Thanks! So if we are leaving my pay to be calculated as is, and get rid of £270/month worth of outgoing by settlening this loan We have , (which would put us way over affordability), do you think that would untwist Santander's knickers? Everything else is hunky-dory, but with them disregarding my shift allowance we were a tad under affordability!
Sorry if I'm using terminology wrong, I haven't a clue what half the things I'm saying is what they're really called! Haha!
they are difficult with loans being repaid - they tend to go off what is showing your credit report and err on the side of not believing people will pay off their debts when they say they will (as no one can be forced to do so)
They should accept 100% of the shift allowance if the same amount every month according to the intermediary website. broker needs to argue your case or something else is going on
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Going off what haras has said then there is a little more to this I suspect. Your broker may not have made a mistake, it may be with Santander. But I would let your broker resolve it, thats what they are paid for.