Relocation whilst on maternity leave

[Harper67]

Hello 😊

I'm currently on maternity leave, due to return to work in approximately May 2018. I'm on full pay until October and then it will drop to statutory and then no pay for the last 3 months.

We are hoping to relocate to my home town this year in Somerset. But I am struggling to get my head around the logistics! I'm thinking we can't be the only people to have done this so I'm wondering if anyone can share their experiences?

My work do not know that I am not intending to come back and I won't be telling them until I need to/or enter the required notice period. How do lenders assess my income if I am on the zero pay part of my maternity leave? Will they take my full time salary into account or will they consider that I earn £0? If we're relocating will they ask where we intend to work in the new area and will they need evidence? The new area is about at 1.5 hour drive away, so not sure if they would consider that commutable?

Any help/advice/experiences would be welcome!

We moved while I was on maternity leave, also during the zero pay part. The bank assessed my earnings as if I was in full time work. However, I did return to work (the bank didn't ask, they assumed I would).

A 1.5 hour commute would be possible if you needed to work, so I don't think the bank would look at that as impossible.

You need to be very careful, different lenders will have different criteria. Our lender would only consider my then income when I was on maternity leave, even when I had a letter from my employer saying I was returning on precisely same terms and conditions.

However, you will be asked by every lender if you anticipate any chance in your income and / or your circumstances.

That's a good point, thank you.