Can ex-H apply for a mortgage in our joint name without me knowing?

[metrobonk]

Sorry if this is a completely stupid question but I am confused and trying to figure this out. Ex-H and I have been separated for just under a year after an abusive marriage (he was the abuser.) He is unemployed and I am the main breadwinner and always have been. The DC live permanently with me although nothing has been formalized yet, legally.

In the recent past (just over a year ago) while he was unemployed and with my permission, he applied for a new mortgage in our joint names on a house he owns, given to him by his parents, using my payslips and information. We got accepted but because of the separation, we did not continue with the new mortgage.

He is now in a lot of financial trouble (because I am not paying for him anymore) and I have a feeling that he has applied for a new mortgage again with my information that he had under a year ago. I have not received any emails or notification of this, but I strongly suspect it.

Here is the stupid question - would he be able to proceed with this without me knowing?

In theory he couldn’t. But I would be wary about him doing it fraudulently. People don’t need to be seen these days to sign on the dotted line. It can all be done digitally, and payslips etc could be easily forged. I wouldn’t trust him. Is there a way notes could be added to your credit file? Because banks will usually check credit files before completion.

This, just phone and check.

I'd be surprised, I remortgaged two years ago with my same lender and I had to provide a whole load of documentation including passport and driving license, so I would have thought it wouldn't be possible for him to do unless he has copies of those.

How can anyone take out credit in someone else's name?

As others have said they’d want your up to date payslips, you also need a solicitor - who will need your ID - and then you’ll need to sign solicitors engagement letter, and the mortgage deed. That’s a lot of people for him to fool!

Surely only if he forged your signatures.

It would depend on the risk of the application to the bank - if the LTV is lower as well as other things, they might not ask for income proof. It’s very situation and lender dependent.

Do a complete overhaul of your financial affairs. Change your email password and put two factor authentication on. Also look at what linked devices there are. There should be an option to say log me out of everything. It’s a pain but if he had your email on his phone then he wouldn’t have access anymore

change your password to three random words. Whatever room you are in look about and choose three words.

I’m in office right now so could choose stapler desk window you then add random number and a punctuation mark. Don’t choose 1 or ! As they are the most popular. Add a capital letter to your first word.

log out everyone on any tracking apps like
life 360 WhatsApp find my friends etc.

log out of Facebook completely and change the password. You can even change the email you use to log in as soon as many things let you use Facebook to log in including MN!

do this for all your social media

once you’ve updated email password on the main email you use for banks etc then start on them and updating passwords and putting 2 factor ID on.

it’s a lot to to all at once but little by little go through everything you use regularly online.

on the credit score websites there is sometimes a free function to lock your credit score. This means any credit check would fail so make sure to take it off before you apply for anything.

personally if you are worried then one at a time, cancel each debit or credit card and get new ones once you’ve updated your email or password with them.
yes it’s a pain as you then need to tell some companies like Netflix for example as payments might fail.

hopefully this will help you feel more secure that he won’t be able to do anything in the future

Financial and Mortgage Adviser here.

This would be classed as fraud. There are typically pretty stringent anti money laundering rules which any lender should be following but l am sure there are some who are more lax, and thus it might be possible.

You need to look at all your credit reports, namely Experian, Equifax, Trans Union, as these are the credit reference agencies most of us lenders use. It will show either a soft search for a mortgage (if they’ve only got as far as an Agreement in Principle), or a hard search if a full credit check for mortgage purposes has been run.

Find out who has done a search, contact them immediately to tell them it is fraudulent and explain situation, and prohibit any further use of your information and file a complaint as they’ve used your data without permission or knowledge. GDPR minefield.

xxx