Anyone used the new mortgage affordability rules?

Anyone used the new mortgage affordability rules?

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bigfatnick

Original Poster:

1,012 posts

202 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
I'm trying to buy a new build at the moment, but using the recommended mortgage service is becoming a pain in the arse. It seems I need these guys to give me the go ahead and decide I can afford a house before I even put a reservation fee to secure the plot I want. Then I sort a mortgage out afterwards. (Ideally with somebody else).

The problem is, as a lorry driver, my wage is made up of two parts. My taxable wage and untaxed giveaways, I guess they could be classed as expenses. So you get the hourly rate, which is fine, and usually averages maybe £2k a month, before tax. And then I get £25 quid, every night I sleep in the lorry. This is tax free. And an industry wide thing, people usually getting between £20 and £30/night, depending on who they work for. This accounts for an average of £375 a month in my wage over the last few months. So a large proportion that I want to be included in the calculations.

The company doesn't seem to know if they can be included as it isn't strictly "pre tax income", they don't seem to care that I can sully two years of payslips showing my never earning a poor wage and it generally getting higher and higher as my boss likes me more. They only seem to care about my last 3 payslips. i don't think they are a great deal of use. I'm sure it'll get sorted, but I'm tearing my hair out not knowing if I can get the house I'm dreaming of. I honestly don't know where to find out, so as always, I turn to pistonheads, hoping that in its vast user group. Somebody will have some experience of these new affordability based mortgages.

Edited by bigfatnick on Monday 5th October 22:11

Wombat3

12,149 posts

206 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
bigfatnick said:
I'm trying to buy a new build at the moment, but using the recommended mortgage service is becoming a pain in the arse. It seems I need these guys to give me the go ahead and decide I can afford a house before I even put a reservation fee to secure the plot I want. Then I sort a mortgage out afterwards.

The problem is, as a lorry driver, my wage is made up of two parts. My taxable wage and untaxed giveaways, I guess they could be classed as expenses. So you get the hourly rate, which is fine, and usually averages maybe £2k a month, before tax. And then I get £25 quid, every night I sleep in the lorry. This is tax free. And an industry wide thing, people usually getting between £20 and £30/night, depending on who they work for. This accounts for an average of £375 a month in my wage over the last few months.

So a large proportion that I want to be included in the calculations.

The company doesn't seem to know if they can be included as it isn't strictly "pre tax income" and doesn't seem to be a great deal of use. I'm sure it'll get sorted, but I'm tearing my hair out not knowing if I can get the house I'm dreaming of. I honestly don't know where to find out, so as always, I turn to pistonheads, hoping that in its vast user group. Somebody will have some experience of these new affordability based mortgages.
Same kind of problem for people who get paid a basic salary and then commission on top (only in many cases the commission element of earnings exceeds the basic salary).

Its always made life difficult for getting a mortgage, doesn't matter how many years you have been doing it for. Must be a nightmare now!

Long & short of it is if its not guaranteed (contracted) income , its unlikely they will count it IMO.

eliot

11,427 posts

254 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
I suspect the answer is not what you want to hear. They are only interested in your actual salary - overtime and bonus seem to be largely ignored now, let alone allowances for sleeping in your cab.
I remortgaged recently and they wanted all expenditure right down to sky and phone costs plus good evidence of earnings - in my case I had to provide three years of P11d's to backup what I had told them about my earnings.

bigfatnick

Original Poster:

1,012 posts

202 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Wombat3 said:
Long & short of it is if its not guaranteed (contracted) income , its unlikely they will count it IMO.
Well I'm currently drawing up a new contract with my boss for all this. (They're concerned I don't have a minimum number of hours, despite usually being paid fo 55ish hours a week.) I'm wondering if the contract garuntees a minimum or say three nights a week night out money they will count it then?

bigfatnick

Original Poster:

1,012 posts

202 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
eliot said:
I suspect the answer is not what you want to hear. They are only interested in your actual salary - overtime and bonus seem to be largely ignored now, let alone allowances for sleeping in your cab.
I remortgaged recently and they wanted all expenditure right down to sky and phone costs plus good evidence of earnings - in my case I had to provide three years of P11d's to backup what I had told them about my earnings.
Back to plan A then, buy a fancy caravan and sleep in my boss's yard.

Cyder

7,052 posts

220 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
eliot said:
I suspect the answer is not what you want to hear. They are only interested in your actual salary - overtime and bonus seem to be largely ignored now, let alone allowances for sleeping in your cab.
I remortgaged recently and they wanted all expenditure right down to sky and phone costs plus good evidence of earnings - in my case I had to provide three years of P11d's to backup what I had told them about my earnings.
That wasn't my experience when we bought our first place 9 months ago.
They took my overtime into account which adds about 15-20% to my salary by looking at 6months worth of payslips.

bigfatnick

Original Poster:

1,012 posts

202 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
Cyder said:
eliot said:
I suspect the answer is not what you want to hear. They are only interested in your actual salary - overtime and bonus seem to be largely ignored now, let alone allowances for sleeping in your cab.
I remortgaged recently and they wanted all expenditure right down to sky and phone costs plus good evidence of earnings - in my case I had to provide three years of P11d's to backup what I had told them about my earnings.
That wasn't my experience when we bought our first place 9 months ago.
They took my overtime into account which adds about 15-20% to my salary by looking at 6months worth of payslips.
Interesting. Was this using the new mortgage rules? I'm not two fussed re, overtime as my new contract will state a high number of minimum hours (probably the lowest ive done in the last 6 months, maybe 47 or 50).

Common sense would say if they looked at my past two years payslips, they can see I earn plenty. But I guess they aren't interested in that.

Cyder

7,052 posts

220 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
I think it was under the new scheme, they also wanted to know how much we spend on haircuts and takeaways per month!

Charlie1986

2,017 posts

135 months

Monday 5th October 2015
quotequote all
There may be others but Liam (sarnie) is highly recommended on here and me personally would recommend him after he sorted my mortgage.

Sarnie

8,044 posts

209 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
bigfatnick said:
Cyder said:
eliot said:
I suspect the answer is not what you want to hear. They are only interested in your actual salary - overtime and bonus seem to be largely ignored now, let alone allowances for sleeping in your cab.
I remortgaged recently and they wanted all expenditure right down to sky and phone costs plus good evidence of earnings - in my case I had to provide three years of P11d's to backup what I had told them about my earnings.
That wasn't my experience when we bought our first place 9 months ago.
They took my overtime into account which adds about 15-20% to my salary by looking at 6months worth of payslips.
Interesting. Was this using the new mortgage rules? I'm not two fussed re, overtime as my new contract will state a high number of minimum hours (probably the lowest ive done in the last 6 months, maybe 47 or 50).

Common sense would say if they looked at my past two years payslips, they can see I earn plenty. But I guess they aren't interested in that.
Your issue isn't the new affordability rules, your issue is that you are trying to use non-taxable income. As you mentioned, it's similar to expenses........

Sarnie

8,044 posts

209 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Charlie1986 said:
There may be others but Liam (sarnie) is highly recommended on here and me personally would recommend him after he sorted my mortgage.
Thanks!! smile

bigfatnick

Original Poster:

1,012 posts

202 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Sarnie said:
Your issue isn't the new affordability rules, your issue is that you are trying to use non-taxable income. As you mentioned, it's similar to expenses........
And this is totally a no-go? Even if I get it written up in my contract so it garuntees a fixed amount minimum every month?

Matt_N

8,901 posts

202 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Cyder said:
eliot said:
I suspect the answer is not what you want to hear. They are only interested in your actual salary - overtime and bonus seem to be largely ignored now, let alone allowances for sleeping in your cab.
I remortgaged recently and they wanted all expenditure right down to sky and phone costs plus good evidence of earnings - in my case I had to provide three years of P11d's to backup what I had told them about my earnings.
That wasn't my experience when we bought our first place 9 months ago.
They took my overtime into account which adds about 15-20% to my salary by looking at 6months worth of payslips.
I too have just moved and was able to use my 'on call allowance' as part of my earnings, but then it is a taxable income. The advisor took my last 6 months wage slips and averaged out the allowance payments.

I didn't need to break down any detail on outgoings either, mortgage is with Natwest.

eliot

11,427 posts

254 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Matt_N said:
I didn't need to break down any detail on outgoings either, mortgage is with Natwest.
Mine was with HSBC who are famously picky and i'm the sole breadwinner which probably puts a risk on things too.

Sheepshanks

32,752 posts

119 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
bigfatnick said:
Sarnie said:
Your issue isn't the new affordability rules, your issue is that you are trying to use non-taxable income. As you mentioned, it's similar to expenses........
And this is totally a no-go? Even if I get it written up in my contract so it garuntees a fixed amount minimum every month?
The thing is, the payment is tax free because HMRC thinks you should be spending that sort of amount on subsistence, bedding etc. So it's reimbursement of expenses - you're not supposed to come out ahead.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

145 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
The thing is, the payment is tax free because HMRC thinks you should be spending that sort of amount on subsistence, bedding etc. So it's reimbursement of expenses - you're not supposed to come out ahead.
Exactly, can't see how this can be counted as income as if it is then it's a tax fiddle.

Sarnie

8,044 posts

209 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
bigfatnick said:
Sarnie said:
Your issue isn't the new affordability rules, your issue is that you are trying to use non-taxable income. As you mentioned, it's similar to expenses........
And this is totally a no-go? Even if I get it written up in my contract so it garuntees a fixed amount minimum every month?
The thing is, the payment is tax free because HMRC thinks you should be spending that sort of amount on subsistence, bedding etc. So it's reimbursement of expenses - you're not supposed to come out ahead.
^^This.

jammy_basturd

29,778 posts

212 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
Sarnie said:
Sheepshanks said:
bigfatnick said:
Sarnie said:
Your issue isn't the new affordability rules, your issue is that you are trying to use non-taxable income. As you mentioned, it's similar to expenses........
And this is totally a no-go? Even if I get it written up in my contract so it garuntees a fixed amount minimum every month?
The thing is, the payment is tax free because HMRC thinks you should be spending that sort of amount on subsistence, bedding etc. So it's reimbursement of expenses - you're not supposed to come out ahead.
^^This.
In which case OP should not declare (to the mortgage co) any expenditure paid for by that overnight allowance.

C0ffin D0dger

3,440 posts

145 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
eliot said:
Mine was with HSBC who are famously picky and i'm the sole breadwinner which probably puts a risk on things too.
We re-mortgaged with HSBC a few years back and although I'm fairly sure it was before the new rules kicked in they still wanted every detail along with evidence to back it up.

We recently asked to increase our mortgage by a paltry £18k to help pay for a loft conversion project and got refused on not meeting the affordability criteria. I can see this is seriously going to screw any growth in property soon though whether this is a good or bad thing is subjective.

bigfatnick

Original Poster:

1,012 posts

202 months

Tuesday 6th October 2015
quotequote all
jammy_basturd said:
Sarnie said:
Sheepshanks said:
bigfatnick said:
Sarnie said:
Your issue isn't the new affordability rules, your issue is that you are trying to use non-taxable income. As you mentioned, it's similar to expenses........
And this is totally a no-go? Even if I get it written up in my contract so it garuntees a fixed amount minimum every month?
The thing is, the payment is tax free because HMRC thinks you should be spending that sort of amount on subsistence, bedding etc. So it's reimbursement of expenses - you're not supposed to come out ahead.
^^This.
In which case OP should not declare (to the mortgage co) any expenditure paid for by that overnight allowance.
Thanks all. The mortgage company has copies of my wage slips, so can see that these are there. However, I see everyone's point. I guess I have an answer now.

Edit - http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/eimanual/eim66130.h... not sure if this changes anything? It doesn't state that it's expenses, and clearly is all above the law. But states "Where the employer knows that the driver uses the sleeper cab, the amount paid free of tax should not exceed a reasonable reimbursement of:
evening meal and breakfast
washing facilities
upkeep of bedding in the cab.

Now where I go, washing is free, I bring my own food, and I wash my bed stuff at homes, so as far as I'm concerned there are no additional costs to if I was sleeping in my own bed at home (aside from maybe putting the washing machine once or twice more per month.


Thanks all.



Edited by bigfatnick on Tuesday 6th October 16:37