Mortgages and maternity leave?

[InMyPrime]

DH and I are looking to buy a house and I have pre-approval for a mortgage that is based on my income only as DH already has a property outside of the UK. So, I am now pregnant (still getting used to that new reality!) at about 10 weeks and we have yet to find a house we like. We're currently renting but want to buy before the birth and ideally in the next month or so before I start to show.

My concern is, am I obliged to tell the bank that I'm pregnant since I'm the sole earner for the purposes of the mortgage? They did ask me when they approved the mortgage whether we had children or had plans for any (this was six months ago) so it made me think, this might be a factor in their decision to grant the mortgage if I turn up on the day of the sale, as a waddling blob at 8 months pregnant...?? Does anyone know if banks will not lend to pregnant women? I'd imagine it would be discrimination not to but on the other hand, I am at risk of reduced earnings in the next year. On the other other hand, I do have six months paid maternity leave at work and we have other income anyway that we're not factoring in for the purposes of the mortgage so I'm not really the sole earner as it might seem from the application.

Does anyone know what the banks' take on maternity leave / female sole earners is?

Yes, the majority of lenders will rate you differently if pregnant as you will be on leave and there is the possibility you may not return after ML - this is perfectly legal as its based on risk.

Thanks, HappyMummy, do you know if they just do not lend to pregnant women or do they just charge a higher interest rate or lend lower multiples? I'm sure it depends on the lender but am worried that they may not lend at all as my circumstances have changed...

The interest rate wont change, they will have different rates for different types of mortgage but dont think they vary much per individual.

If solely in your name, it will depend what your other income is. They may not lend if they feel its too high a risk to take.

Is there a reason you can't do in joint names other than the other property?

The only other reason for avoiding a joint application is that my husband's current income is from his own business and when we started applying for mortgages we didn't have two full years of accounts. We do now, so a joint application wouldn't be out of the question anymore. I'd still rather just go with what I have though as then I don't have to go through the rigmarole of re-applying for another mortgage or possibly finding a new lender entirely if my current lender won't lend to me.

I guess my main worry is not being eligible at all for a mortgage due to the pregnancy...