Mortgages.scot

I have been decorating at home for the last few weeks and have been quiet. Today, I am looking through the many emails and messages I get. Admittedly, not just from the last couple of weeks or months; I am that far behind.

I get recurring questions from people asking me if there is a way around the mortgage affordability test. It's coming from people who either know they will fail for one reason or another or suspect they will.

So, I want to address all of those questions in this post, hoping it stops or reduces more asking.

You can beat the mortgage affordability test

It's simple. Lie and falsify documents.

There you are. That's the answer to beating the mortgage affordability test.

But should you?

Of course not. And I wouldn't even suggest it as being a remotely good idea.

This isn't just about me. Adopting a position of honesty because it's a public blog or because of my job. That said, I believe in doing the right thing; the right thing is telling the truth. It's not worth lying or going to the required lengths you would need to do in order to get a mortgage.

Are you willing to create, find or pay someone else to create fake payslips and bank statements, for example? You realise how serious that is, right? I mention this because that was a suggestion I received in one message that someone was considering.

Think about what happens when, rather than if, you get caught. Lenders use a system called Hunter that registers false applications. After that, every lender will see this, and guess what? That's right, they won't even consider you.

I honestly get it

People are frustrated, and perhaps they hit a bad patch that has now passed, or there is some other issue that lenders have that some believe isn't fair and need someone to give them a break. Lying is not the way. And some will do it anyway, I won't help and can't stop it.

Do the right thing, no matter how difficult that may be.