Buyers' mortgage lender taking ages...

[BimbaBirba]

Just worried that something is not right. Has anyone got any experience of current processing times? Buyers have had the valuation and home buyer's report done exactly 2 weeks ago and they're saying that they're still waiting for the mortgage offer. They're using a smallish BS. Does this sound possible/plausible or can it conceal something more sinister?
We've received our mortgage offer in writing within 48 hours of the valuation so I'm slightly puzzled by this delay

Have bought and sold a few houses in my time and have never ever had such a slow transaction at the front end, the application process took weeks, instructing the valuation a further 2 weeks just excruciating! Santander btw. We complained and just got a compo cheque. Not much but will buy a new light fitting or two in our revamp of the new pad!

I think this is normal in this climate- hope that encourages you a little.

We've just experienced the same with Santander. From memory it took almost 6 weeks for them to approve our application. Ive never really worked out why it took so long - just general slowness. That and the fact that they came back on several occasions via our broker asking for yet further detail around my husbands salary which was a bit more complicated than normal as he runs his own business. Total pain, but we were powerless to speed the process along.

We waited ages for ours but there where problems with the home buyers report that meant we had to get a full structural survey done. Then they needed lots of extra paper work as I was on maternity. Luckily the vender of the house we were buying was not in a rush. Then the offer they sent was wrong so it took about 2 weeks to get that sorted out. In the end I think it took about 2 months from getting the offer in principle to the actual offer.
Was very stressful and rubbish

The hold up with ours when we were waiting for the mortgage offer, wasn't a problem with the building society, but they had to wait so long for our employers to do their confirming bit.

Perfectly feasible that it would take this longer, if not longer. Friend of mine is applying for a mortgage through pretty small lender and they told her 4-6 weeks.

Thanks for your comments. The buyers are saying that there is no hold up, it's just the BS' normal processing times. I'm having a bit of pressure from my vendor's estate agent about this so may need to chase them up again if they still haven't had it by the end of the week.
Thanks for your help