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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Maternity leave

18 replies

Oregano20 · 05/02/2021 18:16

Hello everyone

I'm due back at work from mat leave in the summer. I've applied for a mortgage (we live in Scotland so the offers been accepted, we have a mortgage in principle based on a part time contract that the company I work for currently and have always offered. The company I work for is very large, and has flexible hours, you can change to any part time contract, at any time, without needing a reason.

The bank needs proof of my return to work salary. I have already given them my full time salary and told them my part time hours, but they need it from my employer.

I'm asking my employer to change my contract to part time or write a letter confirming this part time contract is available. They are saying they cannot do this until I return. They say they won't know the business needs in the summer. (They employ 10,000+ people, there is no question that I'll get the contract I want).

Is this normal? To not know if I'll be able to go back to my job of they cannot accommodate part time (I mean I will definitely be able to get that contract - but they want me to believe my financial future is that uncertain?)

🐻 I know some people will say I shouldn't be buying a house on mat leave. But we have made that decision.

Yabu - you have to wait until your babys a year old before you will know your financial situation

Yanbu - people should be allowed the plan for their futures.

OP posts:

Royalbloo · 05/02/2021 18:31

Can't you give them a copy of your contract?

Royalbloo · 05/02/2021 18:31

You're still employed

Original poster

Oregano20 · 05/02/2021 18:33

I submitted my contract and financial reference to the bank. But they want proof of my future salary

OP posts:

Ohalrightthen · 05/02/2021 18:35

You're entitled to go back to the same role/salary level when you return, regardless of the business needs. So get your boss to write that you'll be returning to the same salary as you left, and all should be fine.

luxxlisbon · 05/02/2021 18:39

You are entitled to go back to the same role but not entitled automatically to go part time or reduce your hours. You are entitled to ask them to accommodate you but I would assume this would be looked into and not all roles suit part time work so it is understandable they don't want to make a decision on it just yet.
Plus did you discuss changing your role with them properly or just with regards to the updated contract for the mortgage?

marisacoulter · 05/02/2021 18:39

For the mortgage, just get them to provide proof of your salary if you don't reduce your hours, as that is the current situation? It's hardly going to affect your chances of a mortgage if you earn too much.

For the wider issue of being able to plan, they should have a flexible working policy with timescales to adhere to for how long between you formally requesting it and them responding. In the current climate though it is not unreasonable that they might not know at this point what their needs in summer will be.

Aprilx · 05/02/2021 18:40

Well I don’t agree with either your YABU or the YANBU.

To me it seems reasonable that they cannot effectively confirm your part time working at this point. As a manager is is not something I would agree to six months before it happens either.

But I don’t understand why you didn’t just provide your current contract, you are entitled to go back to it so I don’t see why the bank needed a “future earnings” confirmation.

PurBal · 05/02/2021 18:41

Agree with PP. You're still employed so just give them evidence of your current salary. Pretty sure it's maternity discrimination for lenders to not accept it.

OnlyFoolsnMothers · 05/02/2021 18:41

Can you ask work to write it with words “upon her proposed return to the role” etc. Do you have an Hr department ?

Original poster

Oregano20 · 05/02/2021 18:56

Okay so I should have lied on the application and put my full time salary?

OP posts:

LibrariesGiveUsPower45321 · 05/02/2021 18:59

I had the same situation, I was taken aside informally and told by HR in no uncertain terms to not request part time hours as I was throwing away my rights.

Tell your mortgage advisor your full time salary and proof of contract. Those are the terms you are guaranteed to return in.

Aprilx · 05/02/2021 19:01

@Oregano20

Okay so I should have lied on the application and put my full time salary?

I don’t see any lie. That is your contractual hours and pay, nothing else has been agreed.

Ohalrightthen · 05/02/2021 19:02

@Oregano20

Okay so I should have lied on the application and put my full time salary?

That is the salary you earn. As your company can't guarantee that you'll be able to go back part time, your current "for sure" options are that salary, or no salary.

Littlepaws18 · 05/02/2021 19:05

Say after discussing it with your employer you are going to stay full time.

Then go part time as normal. As long as you have enough to cover it I don't see the issue.

I've told my mortgage provider my full wage but will go bk part time after maternity I know I can afford it. And I will say if they question (which they won't unless I don't pay) that it was a decision I made after I got the mortgage

Original poster

Oregano20 · 05/02/2021 19:07

@LibrariesGiveUsPower54321 I appreciate that

Okay I'm thinking I'll be telling the bank that there's a change of plan...

Shame my mortgage broker, my works hr, no one told me how this works

OP posts:

Ohalrightthen · 05/02/2021 19:10

[quote Oregano20]@LibrariesGiveUsPower54321 I appreciate that

Okay I'm thinking I'll be telling the bank that there's a change of plan...

Shame my mortgage broker, my works hr, no one told me how this works[/quote]
I don't mean to be unkind here, but surely this is obvious? You haven't negotiated a new contract & salary with your boss, so of course you can't get a mortgage based on it - it doesn't exist yet! That's like saying "my salary will be £40k, as soon as I get a new job."

Original poster

Oregano20 · 05/02/2021 19:12

Thanks everyone, I feel relieved that I don't have the keep trying to get something in writing from work - it was always going to be a dead end :S

A simple solution, I feel abit naive to have not know this, but then, there was plenty of opportunities for it to have been explained to me by someone.

Thanks

OP posts:

altiara · 05/02/2021 19:26

Maybe it wasn’t clear what you wanted because it doesn’t exist!
You don’t have a future part time contract, so how can work provide it to you?
What you do have is your current contract so you are not lying when you provide the information that is accurate right now.

Obviously if you are telling the mortgage broker your salary will go down, then they will want the new information but you haven’t made it clear to them that this is what you’d like to do and it has not been agreed and actually happening.

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