Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Original poster

Will getting signed off work affect mortgage?

25 replies

Whuut · 18/08/2021 16:51

Mortgage has been approved, we are just waiting on surveyor who is booked for next week then I believe we will exchange/complete just after that. No chain for either of us.

I'm 28weeks pregnant. I'm in huge amounts of pain with PGP, I have a toddler and work a very physical job and there is no alternative. I'm thinking of trying to get signed off but worried that it may affect the mortgage? The bank don't know I'm pregnant so I worry if they found out I was getting signed off just before mat leave, they may pull the offer?

I will keep going for as long as possible but most days I'm just in crippling pain and any time off is spent in bed. I feel like I'm ruining myself by carrying on 😞

OP posts:
HasaDigaEebowai · 18/08/2021 16:54

Didn't you have to declare your imminent maternity leave?

leakymcleakleak · 18/08/2021 16:56

@HasaDigaEebowai

Didn't you have to declare your imminent maternity leave?
There's no obligation to do this and its generally better not to.

Honestly OP I think it might - is there any way that you could hold on until it goes through? Or speed the process up? I think you need to inform the bank of any changes which would include being signed off on sick leave. Could you find out via a broker?

HasaDigaEebowai · 18/08/2021 16:58

I think you need to inform the bank of any changes which would include being signed off on sick leave.

and presumably also imminent maternity leave..

CabbagesGreen · 18/08/2021 16:59

Aren't you meant to declare anything that will change your circumstances and ability to repay. Like a baby on the way? If you're OK to not declare that then it will be ok not to declare sick leave?

PotteringAlong · 18/08/2021 16:59

Will it affect your pay? If you need to supply pay slips then there’s a problem (as there would be if your mortgage didn’t go through before you went on maternity leave).

HasaDigaEebowai · 18/08/2021 17:02

Obviously they can't discriminate against you on the basis of pregnancy or maternity but it would affect their affordability calculation, surely.

I'd be checking that you can't be found to have misled the lender.

CabbagesGreen · 18/08/2021 17:04

@HasaDigaEebowai

Obviously they can't discriminate against you on the basis of pregnancy or maternity but it would affect their affordability calculation, surely.

I'd be checking that you can't be found to have misled the lender.

Thats what I thought but I assumed OP had checked that when they decided not to mention the baby.

If not OP you need to check both. You can get into serious trouble if caught out IIRC.

Original poster
Whuut · 18/08/2021 17:17

Okay sorry, I should've been clear. The application started about 6 weeks ago. We didn't tell them I was pregnant as advised not to if they didn't ask. They asked if we would have any changes/anyone else living with us in the future and we said yes, we will be having more children in the near future. We also explained that we have savings ready for any time I will have to go on mat leave which they seemed happy with. We made sure we didn't lie. I think I will try and hold on as I don't want anything to be affected. I have tried to get appt for physio but have to wait 2 weeks just for phone assessment.

OP posts:
leakymcleakleak · 20/08/2021 12:56

No @HasaDigaEebowai you're wrong - imminent maternity leave isn't something there is any obligation to inform banks about, and it isn't a given. The OP is pregnant, she hasn't had a child, the banks don't take that into account. Sick leave is different as she'll be starting it now.

Its maternity discrimination: aside from anything else, not all pregnancies end in a healthy birth, equally not all women take the leave entitled. OP could be a surrogate, or be on a waiting list for an elective surgery with a six week waiting period, do you think she'd have to inform them then?

The issue is her pay being affected right now, ie before mortgage is processed, and that's harder.

HasaDigaEebowai · 20/08/2021 13:59

I’m a discrimination lawyer. I know all about discrimination. I don’t know about mortgage applications but it seems bonkers to me that you don’t have to declare it because clearly it affects affordability. A quick google suggests that they can ask about changes in affordability and if you don’t disclose the changes then this can lead to serious problems.

Up to you though.

Original poster
Whuut · 20/08/2021 19:21

As I said before, I stated in the application that we had savings specifically for when I do go on maternity leave- whenever that may be. We also said we would be having another child in the near future, I actually think our mortgage advisor guessed that I'm currently pregnant but obviously she can't ask. Our mortgage repayments will be lower than our current rent so I am not worried in the slightest about being able to afford it. That and the savings mentioned. I realise they will take mat leave into account and it could affect things which is what I want to avoid however, we made sure we haven't actually lied.

I am going to carry on working as I don't want anything to disrupt the process. If everything goes smoothly with the survey I think it should only be a few weeks after that anyway. Thanks for everyone's comments.

OP posts:
surreygirl1987 · 20/08/2021 20:05

Oh I sympathise. PGP is awful. I know you said there is no alternative option... have you checked with your employers? Sorry if that is a daft question. It's a real dilemma. Please don't hurt yourself over this though- a friend of mine took more than a year to recover from PGP (I was extremely lucky and mine disappeared right after my son was born).

surreygirl1987 · 20/08/2021 20:06

Any way you can use up all your annual leave, maybe 3 days a week or something like that to make it bearable until the sale completes? Or, depending on how much annual leave you have, use it all in one go? You wouldn't have to declare a holiday...

Original poster
Whuut · 20/08/2021 20:25

@surreygirl1987 It's absolutely awful isn't it. I didn't have it with my first so really struggling this time. I have checked with employer and they have made as many changes as possible but there is no getting away from the fact it's a physical job.

I have used all holiday in one go to essentially start my mat leave early. I only have 5 weeks left and I think I can cope. PGP gets worse by the day though, I never understood before!

OP posts:
PissedOffNeighbour22 · 20/08/2021 20:46

It was quite late on in the process that I had to provide 3mths wage slips. I had to go back to work early from maternity leave just to be able to provide them showing the full amount. If you can't provide the wage slips you could lose the mortgage offer.

Hopefully you're close to the point where they will ask for them and at that point you should be safe going off

Original poster
Whuut · 20/08/2021 21:51

@PissedOffNeighbour22 We have already supplied wage slips and all is fine with those. I heard once that they can ask for 'fresh' ones closer to the end which I think worried me slightly but have since heard it's very unlikely.

OP posts:
StCharlotte · 20/08/2021 22:25

I have tried to get appt for physio but have to wait 2 weeks just for phone assessment

As an aside, I might dip into those savings and treat myself to an osteopath or private physio appointment - ours has a specialist maternity therapist.

As you were...

GettingItOutThere · 20/08/2021 23:21

fwiw i did not declare a pregnancy years ago, on a mortgage application with a broker in a bank. Heavily pregnant too and due imminently. Pretty blood obvious but me and the broker had a good understanding and did not say anything. So no, I would say nothing.

As for sick leave, the bank will ask you to declare it, and request if it is an "ongoing" sickness, which it will be. So your choice. if you do go off sick I would be careful with the wording on the sick note

hope that helps

Fupoffyagrasshole · 20/08/2021 23:27

Never mentioned I was pregnant when applying for my mortgage either 🤷‍♀️
I wouldn’t go off sick though - maybe annual leave or just try get through until it goes through! Fingers crossed for you xx

Yourmomgoestocollege · 21/08/2021 10:05

I was advised by my nationwide mortgage advisor that a pregnancy doesn't need to be declared. She said essentially it's not a guarantee of another child which would effect affordability. And she saw me in person at 30 weeks so no doubts there.

Original poster
Whuut · 21/08/2021 10:24

@StCharlotte Yes I am definitely going to look into private.

Thanks everyone else. As I said, I'm not worried about not mentioning the pregnancy and I really think our mortgage advisor guessed anyway so, no issues there. I think I will try to carry on at work for as long as possible without killing myself as it seems this is what would have an affect on the whole thing.

OP posts:
Itscoldouthere · 21/08/2021 12:11

I’ve just got our written mortgage offer, it says they could withdraw offer if there is changes since the date you applied that might impact ability to pay, like loosing your job, reduction in working hours or you apply for further borrowing, so it sounds like they would need to know.
Hope you make it work.

Original poster
Whuut · 21/08/2021 13:56

@Itscoldouthere Thanks. I think we are covered by the fact we have savings to boost our income while I'm on mat leave. So, technically it will not impact our ability to pay at all. Going on sick leave I think would have to be declared so am going to try and avoid if possible.

OP posts:
Itscoldouthere · 21/08/2021 13:59

Yes probably worth trying to avoid sick leave if you can, hope you manage, it’s not fun when pregnancy makes you unwell.

Original poster
Whuut · 21/08/2021 18:57

@Itscoldouthere Thank you. It's awful. I had such an easy pregnancy with my first, this has been a shock.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread