₦airaland Forum

Good day to you all.
Please I need advice on this.
I woke up and found my patio door to the garden broken.
I called my insurance and was told I have £350 excess and their own vendor quoted £623. They requested that I pay £350 while they pay the rest. But I found a local vendor that quoted me £330.

What should I do please?

D1uncle:
The advice is to wait and increase your deposit. Those rates are not good. I think the current rate on a 10% deposit should be below 4.6%. I would advise you to wait until your situation aligns with the current rates.

Thanks for the advice bro. But looking at a 2 years fixed so I can remortgage and get a much better deal as circumstances would have changed by then.

jedisco:
As D1uncle said, your rates are quite exorbitant.
Know people who got mortgages even with a few months left on their visa but individual circumstances differ. Have you looked at Barclays?

The housing market is quite tepid and building your deposit for next 6months ish may be a good way to proceed

Thanks bro. Just looking to sort this out and fix for 2 years. Got to plan for other commitments

NewT123:
Thanks bro. Just looking to sort this out and fix for 2 years. Got to plan for other commitments

Good luck... eitherway, the high rates now might not matter much in the long run.

Diplomacy2020:
Good day to you all.
Please I need advice on this.
I woke up and found my patio door to the garden broken.
I called my insurance and was told I have £350 excess and their own vendor quoted £623. They requested that I pay £350 while they pay the rest. But I found a local vendor that quoted me £330.

What should I do please?

Tricky one.. eitherway, you'd pay for most or all of it.

Worth clarifying if using your insurance would count as a claim when you come to renew hence increasing your premium.

If the local chap has good reviews and is trustworthy, I'd prefer using him as he's overall cheaper and likely to be faster.

Subsequently, for repairs that are unlikely to exceed your excess, its worth checking the cost from local providers first.
MyBuilder app has been a God-sent in finding tradesmen - quick response and one can see reviews

jedisco:
Tricky one.. eitherway, you'd pay for most or all of it.

Worth clarifying if using your insurance would count as a claim when you come to renew hence boosting your premium.

If the local chap has good reviews and is trustworthy, I'd prefer using him as he's overall cheaper and likely to be faster.

Subsequently, for repairs that are unlikely to exceed your excess, its worth checking the cost ftom local providers first.
MyBuilder app has been a God-sent in finding tradesmen - quick response and one can see reviews

Thanks bro.
I will check on the app as you said.

With 2 years and 10 months in the UK. A first-time buyer with 10% deposit. I got a mortgage with Skipton for 4.59% fixed for 3 years, with no fee. Is it a good deal? Or Look for something below elsewhere.

Madeu:
With 2 years and 10 months in the UK. A first-time buyer with 10% deposit. I got a mortgage with Skipton for 4.59% fixed for 3 years, with no fee. Is it a good deal? Or Look for something below elsewhere.

I think it is a good deal....

Hi guys, my initial thought was that the main delay in property purchase is always from the mortgage side, I mean securing a mortgage. However, almost 2 months after mortgage was secured, my solicitor keeps saying he's waiting for response from the sellers solicitor. The wait is really difficult...

If it involves property chain, it's standard to purposely delay due to (in some cases) the complexity of coordinating multiple parties.

Can you not contact seller to ask wetin dey sup?

ehizario2012:
Hi guys, my initial thought was that the main delay in property purchase is always from the mortgage side, I mean securing a mortgage. However, almost 2 months after mortgage was secured, my solicitor keeps saying he's waiting for response from the sellers solicitor. The wait is really difficult...

Please, i got an interest rate of 4.46 from Barclays bank. Is it advisable to go for 3 or 5 years fixed??

Ogonsbaba:
Please, i got an interest rate of 4.46 from Barclays bank. Is it advisable to go for 3 or 5 years fixed??

The conventional wisdom for an ‘immigrant’ is typically to go for 5 as that gives some stability and also because the fees you’ll pay for the initial deal and for remortgages often cancel out the reduced interest rates of shorter terms.

I’d caveat with my own experience though, because we would have gone for 2 years if we had figured this : we recently put a chunk of funds into a conversion/renovation, and the value of the house has increased substantially as a result (confirmed by a surveyor) but our fix was for five years and while we could break the mortgage, it’d cost quite a bit in early repayment fees.

In short, if you’re going to be doing work to increase the value of the house, consider going for two years so you can benefit from the increased value sooner.

Ogonsbaba:
Please, i got an interest rate of 4.46 from Barclays bank. Is it advisable to go for 3 or 5 years fixed??

I was just about to come ask this. but ours come with product fee of 899.

OmichaelO:
I was just about to come ask this. but ours come with product fee of 899.

There’s a product fee attached to Barclay. 899 is the standard for most first time buyer.

What is the general perception of townhouses? I’ve noticed that they are cheaper and offer more space. Some even have three bathrooms and an en-suite master bedroom, all at a reasonable price. Are they difficult to sell?

Hello house,

Property type New build (semi detached)
Deposit 10%
Term 24 years
Rate 5%
Work visa Less than 5 years more
Length of stay : Close to 4 years.
Lender : Principality

Back story : MA with RSC said we got refused by Barclays - they want 15% deposit - and one other lender.
- Something tells me MA doesn't have my interest @ heart ,as they were introduced by developer.
- I researched and found lender has a 4.98% rate with £1,350 product fee and 5 years fixed but MA chose 5% rate with 2 years fixed for us.
- Got us a £269/m full coverage Insurance
- with BOE's base rate @ 4%, I know 5% is high but my credit score / report is reading fair on Experian.

Questions
Anyone has any review on RSC ?

Can I get a better deal in mortgage rate (4.5% preferably) and lower insurance premium?

Any recommendations as per MA ?

Madeu:
There’s a product fee attached to Barclay. 899 is the standard for most first time buyer.

It depends on the product you choose.
I was a FTB with Barclays and I didn’t pay product fee.

AlphaUno:
Hello house,

Property type New build (semi detached)
Property value £293,995
Deposit 10%
Term 24 years
Rate 5%
Work visa Less than 5 years more
Length of stay : Close to 4 years.
Lender : Principality

Back story : MA with RSC said we got refused by Barclays - they want 15% deposit - and one other lender.
- Something tells me MA doesn't have my interest @ heart ,as they were introduced by developer.
- I researched and found lender has a 4.98% rate with £1,350 product fee and 5 years fixed but MA chose 5% rate with 2 years fixed for us.
- Got us a £269/m full coverage Insurance
- with BOE's base rate @ 4%, I know 5% is high but my credit score / report is reading fair on Experian.

Questions
Anyone has any review on RSC ?

Can I get a better deal in mortgage rate (4.5% preferably) and lower insurance premium?

Any recommendations as per MA ?

Firstly and most crucially, that rate is higher than what you can get elsewhere eg Barclays.

Secondly, £269 is absurdly high for insurances (I'm assuming this includes life and income protection and critical illness - all reduing cover?). Analyse which one you'll really need e.g. you may not need income protection depending on what the sickness absence policy is where you work. You may also not need life insurance. Even if you do, you wil ALWAYS get a better deal by yourself. Start from the comparison websites.

Also, how come your MA chose a term for you? That's odd. Normally they would discuss with you and let you decide.

Given your profile, I'm not sure why Barclays would refuse you. I've just looked at their criteria and there's no restriction on people on visas in terms of new build or not as far as I can see (I'm not a expert so I may well be missing something).

In any case, what you should do is get another MA. This is too big a decision for you to stay with an advisor whom you're not sure is working in your best interests, out of politeness or whatever. The first mistake was in engaging the MA recommended by your seller but you can still remedy that by getting another advisor to doube-check whether you can get from a Barclays or somewhere else with a lower rate.

Goodenoch:
Firstly and most crucially, that rate is higher than what you can get elsewhere eg Barclays.

Secondly, £269 is absurdly high for insurances (I'm assuming this includes life and income protection and critical illness - all reduing cover?). Analyse which one you'll really need e.g. you may not need income protection depending on what the sickness absence policy is where you work. You may also not need life insurance. Even if you do, you wil ALWAYS get a better deal by yourself. Start from the comparison websites.

Also, how come your MA chose a term for you? That's odd. Normally they would discuss with you and let you decide.

Given your profile, I'm not sure why Barclays would refuse you. I've just looked at their criteria and there's no restriction on people on visas in terms of new build or not as far as I can see (I'm not a expert so I may well be missing something).

In any case, what you should do is get another MA. This is too big a decision for you to stay with an advisor whom you're not sure is working in your best interests, out of politeness or whatever. The first mistake was in engaging the MA recommended by your seller but you can still remedy that by getting another advisor to doube-check[b] whether you can get from a Barclays or [/b]somewhere else with a lower rate.

You have spoken well.

I accepted the developer's recommendation because some of them do have their own panel of brokers and solicitors they work with which might not include the broker or solicitor, one is coming with.
It wasn't as if he chose for us. I was initially given a tentative rate of 5.49% with excuses like no ILR, work visa and length of stay but I kept rejecting, till he said he'd found something in the region of 5% after rejection from Barclays. I grudgingly accepted, knowing that it was still too high.

They gave an excuse that Barclays wants more length of stay or 15% deposit.

Someone close to me, with same situation but different credit score/report got a rate of 4.74% from Barclays four months ago - when base rate was still 4.25% -
So, I kept wondering with the base rate reduction, how come mine is still high up there.
Initially, I thought, the high rate I was getting might be due to credit ish but after the telephone conversation with the MA especially on the insurance, I began to doubt all what I was told earlier and if he has my interest at heart.

I'm still trying to find out more and get more opinions especially from MAs

When asked if they are tied to lenders, they said they are a whole market brokerage firm - which I doubt.

NB
The insurance covers
Joint life and critical illness includes the children critical illness and joint income benefits.

@AlphaUno 5% is indeed high as long as there's no adverse report (missed payment etc) on your credit file.

I'm also in the market at the moment; 3.5 yrs in the UK with 4yrs left on work visa.

1st MA recommended by a friend wants 1% of the loan in fees; I simply walked away.

Asked copilot for recommendations and found MAs with plenty of 5* google reviews near me. Booked a physical appointment with one and it's been good so far.

The MA found us a deal last week with Barclays; 4.47%, 2 years fixed with 899 fees and 10% deposit. I'll request to compare another deal without a product fee when we find a property and ready to apply.

I would look for another MA in this situation and definitely shop for insurance quotes myself.

Controlv:
@AlphaUno 5% is indeed high as long as there's no adverse report (missed payment etc) on your credit file.

I'm also in the market at the moment; 3.5 yrs in the UK with 4yrs left on work visa.

1st MA recommended by a friend wants 1% of the loan in fees; I simply walked away.

Asked copilot for recommendations and found MAs with plenty of 5* google reviews near me. Booked a physical appointment with one and it's been good so far.

The MA found us a deal last week with Barclays; 4.47%, 2 years fixed with 899 fees and 10% deposit. I'll request to compare another deal without a product fee when we find a property and ready to apply.

I would look for another MA in this situation and definitely shop for insurance quotes myself.

That's the way to go!

My initial concern was getting AIPs all over the place but an expert I spoke with this evening confirmed it isn't much of a big deal seeking different opinions - AIPs.
I already got an appointment with L & C and Barclays. Fingers crossed.

Update :
The MA got in touch this afternoon with another 'crazy' rate from a totally different lender, 5.57%, I just left his mail on read and proceeded to aggressively shop around myself. 🤣🤣

Diplomacy2020:
Good day to you all.
Please I need advice on this.
I woke up and found my patio door to the garden broken.
I called my insurance and was told I have £350 excess and their own vendor quoted £623. They requested that I pay £350 while they pay the rest. But I found a local vendor that quoted me £330.

What should I do please?

Its due to thermal stress. It happens to newly installed glass panes where not enough gaps were left for expansion or impurities in the glass cause a fracturing of the pane as it expands at a different pace from the glass molecules.

Most window and door installations comes with warranty period. If it is, get in touch and ask them to remediate it before insurance.

Rates have fallen.

Asked my MA for a Mortgage review and it was reduced within 48 hours to 4.26%

Having a home demo done in a few days. completion is nearby

Hi Guys,
I was with a MA on Monday and we were able to get AIP with Halfiax for 4.62%.

I have lived in the Uk for 3years 6months and I have got 2 years and 2months left on my visa.

I visited some estate agents offices around yesterday and they promised to get me a cheaper rate than I got from the independent mortgage adviser.
My questions are as follows:
1. Can I trust the estate agents to act as a mortgage adviser for me or I hold on to my independent mortgage broker?
2. Can I visit more than one mortgage adviser as I don't want it to affect my credit score due to soft checks.
3. My rental contract expires in March 2026 but i plan to leave before that time. When is the earliest time for me to start searching for house.

AOI2016:
Hi Guys,
I was with a MA on Monday and we were able to get AIP with Halfiax for 4.62%.

I have lived in the Uk for 3years 6months and I have got 2 years and 2months left on my visa.

I visited some estate agents offices around yesterday and they promised to get me a cheaper rate than I got from the independent mortgage adviser.
My questions are as follows:
1. Can I trust the estate agents to act as a mortgage adviser for me or I hold on to my independent mortgage broker?
2. Can I visit more than one mortgage adviser as I don't want it to affect my credit score due to soft checks.
3. My rental contract expires in March 2026 but i plan to leave before that time. When is the earliest time for me to start searching for house.

Resi mortgage is more straightforward than it seems for most. This is the case if your history is clear i.e a regular job, no adverse rec on your credit report, decent duration in the country/visa...


Majority of lenders would have their rates published on their website and a MA is unlikely to get you a cheaper rate with same lender. From this page, you'd know lenders that offer products to folks on a visa e.g Barclays (https://www.barclays.co.uk/mortgages/fixed-rate-mortgage/). You could visit their website and see the rates for your corresponding ltv. That's what your MA would also relay if they use that lender. Once you visit a few lenders, you'd get a feel of the market and what the average rates are. Remember rates from major lenders track themselves as they need customers.
The MA helps streamline the process, look at lenders you may not be aware of and make sure the application process is less stressful for you.

To your questions
1. The EA is unlikely to double as an MA. They'd likely pass you to an MA they have contact with. You can always chat with multiple MAs as some seem to have ways especially if your history is complex.

2. As far as it's not a hard check, it shouldn't be an issue I believe.

3. If looking to move in March 26, this is about the right time. For most especially first time buyers, it takes sometime to get used to the market and what average prices are (except if you're going for new builds). Average conveyancing would take 2- 4 months or more. Listings tend to slow down in winter. You can also sensibly drag your completion by a month or two. Even if you complete a bit early, you'd need sometime to put your place in order

jedisco:
Resi mortgage is more straightforward than it seems for most. This is the case if your history is clear i.e a regular job, no adverse rec on your credit report, decent duration in the country/visa...


Majority of lenders would have their rates published on their website and a MA is unlikely to get you a cheaper rate with same lender. From this page, you'd know lenders that offer products to folks on a visa e.g Barclays (https://www.barclays.co.uk/mortgages/fixed-rate-mortgage/). You could visit their website and see the rates for your corresponding ltv. That's what your MA would also relay if they use that lender. Once you visit a few lenders, you'd get a feel of the market and what the average rates are. Remember rates from major lenders track themselves as they need customers.
The MA helps streamline the process, look at lenders you may not be aware of and make sure the application process is less stressful for you.

To your questions
1. The EA is unlikely to double as an MA. They'd likely pass you to an MA they have contact with. You can always chat with multiple MAs as some seem to have ways especially if your history is complex.

2. As far as it's not a hard check, it shouldn't be an issue I believe.

3. If looking to move in March 26, this is about the right time. For most especially first time buyers, it takes sometime to get used to the market and what average prices are (except if you're going for new builds). Average conveyancing would take 2- 4 months or more. Listings tend to slow down in winter. You can also sensibly drag your completion by a month or two. Even if you complete a bit early, you'd need sometime to put your place in order

thank you for dropping this link.


For the elders in the house please, I need clarification.

Our MA showed us when she was doing the scouting for lenders and we got 4.46% for 5 years, when I went to this link and did further digging, the deal is for 90% LTV and for 85% LTV it's 4.12% for 5 years. I feel we have been short changed because we already paid for product fee. Can we still go back to let her know ? I think this issue was caused because the LTV on page showed 85.01% so it probably pushed us to the 90% ladder. What you do all advise please ?

@lexusgs460 and other elders.

OmichaelO:
thank you for dropping this link.


For the elders in the house please, I need clarification.

Our MA showed us when she was doing the scouting for lenders and we got 4.46% for 5 years, when I went to this link and did further digging, the deal is for 90% LTV and for 85% LTV it's 4.12% for 5 years. I feel we have been short changed because we already paid for product fee. Can we still go back to let her know ? I think this issue was caused because the LTV on page showed 85.01% so it probably pushed us to the 90% ladder. What you do all advise please ?

@lexusgs460 and other elders.

Why not start by having a chat with your MA.
I'd expect an MA to tell me if my deposit was close to the next treshold. If contracts have not been exchanged or you have not moved in, then there should be room to switch especially if you are looking to remain with same lender.

When I buy, my MA tells me what the next lower and higher LTV rates are should I need to touch-up my deposit. If there are fees on some products, as part of the comparison, they should also tell you what the total cost over the duration would be (including fees) so you can make a better decision.
On my resi, as there was some allowance above what I was borrowing that would still not push me into a higher ltv, my MA also mentioned taking out some cash at same rate and as part of my mortgage should I need to e.g to cover moving expenses.

jedisco:
Why not start by having a chat with your MA.
I'd expect an MA to tell me if my deposit was close to the next treshold. If contracts have not been exchanged or you have not moved in, then there should be room to switch especially if you are looking to remain with same lender.

When I buy, my MA tells me what the next lower and higher LTV rates are should I need to touch-up my deposit. If there are fees on some products, as part of the comparison, they should also tell you what the total cost over the duration would be (including fees) so you can make a better decision.
On my resi, as there was some allowance above what I was borrowing that would still not push me into a higher ltv, my MA also mentioned taking out some cash at same rate and as part of my mortgage should I need to e.g to cover moving expenses.

thank you so much for this. I have messaged her.

If we decide to leave it we will be loosing ~£2600 over 5 years.

We have not exchanged nor completed.

For better context; the current offer will have us paying 941.17 per month and if we are able to go with the lower product fee. We will be paying ~899 monthly.

OmichaelO:
thank you so much for this. I have messaged her.

If we decide to leave it we will be loosing ~£2600 over 5 years.

We have not exchanged nor completed.

For better context; the current offer will have us paying 941.17 per month and if we are able to go with the lower product fee. We will be paying ~899 monthly.

Thats enough to warrant a revisit. Its much easier with resi mortgages. For me, two weeks to the end of my conveyancing, I tinkered with flipping my rates but held back as the financial gains weren't worth it. Infact my MA advised that once all things are clear to agree on an exchange or completion date, I should let her know in time so she could recheck rates and see if there is anything better in the offing.


Lets know how it goes

Hello everyone. In the light of recent ILR brouhaha, I'm already considering canada and my PR should arrive in 8 months all things being equal. So we are considering selling our properties. The property has appreciated but it is a 5 year fixed and we are just 1 year into it. So we would be 2 years by the time the property is put up for sale. Early Repayment Charges is 8k. My question, is there no way to renegotiate the contract now? Im willing to pay a restructuring fees?

jedisco:
Thats enough to warrant a revisit. Its much easier with resi mortgages. For me, two weeks to the end of my conveyancing, I tinkered with flipping my rates but held back as the financial gains weren't worth it. Infact my MA advised that once all things are clear to agree on an exchange or completion date, I should let her know in time so she could recheck rates and see if there is anything better in the offing.


Lets know how it goes

Thank you for your swift response and advise.

I will definitely let you know how it goes.


This was how I got to know. When I checked their website I saw that we were given rate for 90% LTV.

Hello,

Have anyone in the uk who is still on skilled work visa used Skipton and got approval? Or the applicant have to have ILR ?

Hope to hear from you quote author=AdeAde1805 post=135369005]Keys Collected!
I’ve been a quiet follower of this thread for a while now, and the amount of support and information I’ve gained from this community has been incredible. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has shared their knowledge and offered guidance along the way.

I’m excited to share that our first home-buying journey has officially come to an end—exactly 2 years and 7 months after arriving in the UK. We picked up the keys on the 28th March 2025!
It’s a 3-bedroom semi-detached home with 3 toilets, built in 2019. I knew it was the one the moment I saw it, after what felt like endless viewings.
• Offer Accepted: October 2024
• Mortgage Approved: December 2024 (thanks to Skipton, approved in just 2 days)
• Completion Date: 28th March 2025

Special thanks to Lexusgs430 for his endless patience and invaluable advice—he never got tired of answering all my questions![/quote]