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Original poster

Not to tell mortgage broker I am pregnant?

94 replies

Seabiscuit1 · 12/03/2018 15:08

I asked about this a couple of weeks ago for renting but due to my family being incredible I am now in the position to buy rather than rent! It would just be me on the mortgage as my partner has a mortgage on another property that his ex still lives in with his DD. Not my place to interfere with that one as long as he still contributes fairly to our family.
So my credit rating is reasonably good and affordability shouldn’t be a problem but I am 28 weeks pregnant! Would it be incredibly wrong of me to hide that from them? I won’t be giving up work and even SMA will more than cover the mortgage repayments. The mortgage would be so much more affordable than renting so I am desperate to do this if I get a chance.
Someone tell me what to do!

OP posts:
soulrider · 12/03/2018 15:31

They should be asking if there is anything that will impact your future income and your maternity leave would, and if you're going back to work potentially there would be childcare costs.

No idea of the consequences if you omit this information, but are you sure you can buy and get a final mortgage offer before you give birth?

TheOrigBrave · 12/03/2018 15:34

As long as you answer all their (allowed!) questions honestly then all is fine.

Forgottencoffee · 12/03/2018 15:34

Kind of similar but I had recently had my LO when we applied for a mortgage and they based the affordability on my income while employed full time even though I was only going to be receiving SMP for the next 7 months. I just had to sign a letter to say that I confirmed as of X date my income would be Y.

Having said that, if I were pregnant, I probably wouldn't have told them. What if you yourself didn't know yet?

GinaLinetti99 · 12/03/2018 15:36

Nope, don't tell them. We didn't when we bought - I was 20 weeks when we moved. Everything we researched said it wasn't worth mentioning because of the doom and gloom possibly.

MIngerDynasty · 12/03/2018 15:36

It would no way occur to me to discuss the contents of my uterus with a stranger.

None of their business. What if you were just having occasional unprotected sex, would you inform them? Same outcomes.

ProperLavs · 12/03/2018 15:36

I didn't. Sucked my 6 month pg tummy in. A couple of weeks later and there would have been no hiding it though.

MIngerDynasty · 12/03/2018 15:39

Lol at properlaves.

Stick a book in front it. Grin

JobHunting4 · 12/03/2018 15:42

I didn’t tell them first time. Approached with the attitude that if they ask directly I will tell them. They didn’t. It wasn’t even on the health questionnaire.
Second time I wasn’t pregnant but was on maternity leave. I submitted wage slips with my usual salary, and also recent ones whilst on leave. The first choice mortgage was a building society, and they turned our application down. Broker said they aren’t allowed to discriminate, but building societies can be a little old fashioned. Second application accepted us. That was with a bank.
Good luck

DerelictWreck · 12/03/2018 15:42

I'm really surprised by the number of people saying it makes no difference!

Made a huge difference to us as they took maternity pay into account rather than salary, so wouldn't offer us anywhere near as much to borrow.

phoenix1973 · 12/03/2018 15:43

Don't mention it.

megletthesecond · 12/03/2018 15:45

I wouldn't.

Bitter experience as a LP porting (or trying to port Hmm) a mortgage here.

Riverside2 · 12/03/2018 15:46

I think if you lie in your mortgage application it's fraud and a crime? sorry.

I don't think you need to mention it but if anything comes up about expected income or breaks in income, that might be a dodgy thing.

I was contracting when I got my mortgage though and the knew that, so asking me how I budgeted for work breaks was normal.

Riverside2 · 12/03/2018 15:46

also at 28 weeks is it easy to hide?

MaverickSnoopy · 12/03/2018 15:46

Bought houses during both pregnancies. Didn't declare it either time. Anything could have happened. The second time the broker managed to secure a mortgage where they didn't factor in childcare (for the child we already had). So actually I'd say it's irrelevant anyway.

After we moved and after my maternity I went part time. I now earn a third of what I did but because of lower childcare costs out disposable works out the same mostly. I am pregnant again and planning a career change. We wouldn't have stood a hope in hell in securing our mortgage if we applied now. We got a long mortgage term to see us through though and we have insurances including unemployment and redundancy protection. It's important to me to know we can manage. I never wanted to jump through the banks hoops when I knew we would be ok so we didn't tell them. Why risk it?

soulrider · 12/03/2018 15:48

I think the fact that the OP is the sole applicant might mean declaring the reduction in income due to maternity would have more of an impact than if she was a joint applicant.

Although looking at the rent v mortgage figures it sounds like there might be a hefty deposit involved so may be less of an issue.

Original poster
Seabiscuit1 · 12/03/2018 15:49

Well I do look rather pregnant however there is an option to do a video call rather than a face to face for the deal. Or baggy clothes and sucking it in!
In reality, if they were to directly ask I would have to tell them but I don’t have an issue with skirting around the truth if needs be.

OP posts:
Original poster
Seabiscuit1 · 12/03/2018 15:51

We have a 20% deposit and admittedly we are moving to a smaller and less grand house than we currently live it but it will be ours and it will be a home and that sounds so wonderful.

OP posts:
soulrider · 12/03/2018 15:53

They cannot ask directly if you are pregnant, only if there is anything that is likely to affect your income/change in circumstances

FizzyGreenWater · 12/03/2018 15:55

Agree with PP - no I wouldn't tell them. Certainly not if you don't foresee it affecting repayments.

But - yours, yes? Just you on deeds as well as mortgage? Please say yes!

honeysucklejasmine · 12/03/2018 15:56

Unless they can guarantee 100% safe delivery of your child, it's none of their business imo.

CantChoose · 12/03/2018 15:57

I asked our mortgage broker about this as I was planning to TTC and he said it didn't matter if I was anyway so no need to lie - they shouldn't even ask.

strawberryfoam · 12/03/2018 15:58

I didn't tell them either. I was pregnant on my first baby when we got our mortgage and then I was pregnant again on baby number two when we remortgaged to renovate the house. I didn't feel I had to disclose it and they only asked about children we had which I was honest on.

SevenOf1981 · 12/03/2018 15:59

We weren't going to mention it, but realised we'd have to when certain charges on our bank account made it obvious!

Onlyoldontheoutside · 12/03/2018 16:00

You don't need to tell them as your baby is not born.
As to those saying it's fraud as this would change your income in the future then you would have to be able to predict the next 20years on an average mortgage.
Congrats on your house and baby to be OP.

dingdongdigeridoo · 12/03/2018 16:01

I know a couple of women who've not declared their pregnancy. One of them went to the bank wearing very baggy clothes. It's crazy that you have to jump through such hoops now to get a mortgage.

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