This might seem like a strange question but the answer is in fact concerning! A number of lenders have started to charge fees which apply at the point of application but are not-refundable if your application does not proceed. This applies no matter the reason why mortgage application does not proceed – it makes no difference if it is because you change your mind or the lender rejects your application because of problems with the survey or valuation. Lender’s charging non-refundable fees is a relatively new phenomenon but it is something you should look out for. Homebuyers have always known that there is a risk that they will have to pay for surveys on properties that they ultimately are not successful in buying. But incurring fees on a mortgage that you don’t get is even more concerning and can have a significant impact on your costs. At the time of writing (6 September 2007) there is a mortgage which has a non-refundable fee of 0.5% of the mortgage amount. On a typical £150,000 mortgage this would amount to a fee of £750 which would not be returned if the mortgage is declined. Given that this applies on a remortgage also it is very important to ensure that you are going to get the mortgage before you apply. To help with this, use a mortgage comparison and buying site that enables you to compare mortgages based on their true cost, including all fees.
Francis Ghiloni is the Marketing Director at mform.co.uk. mform.co.uk helps you to <a href= "http://www.mform.co.uk/mform/mform?contentKey=mortgageinformation/buyertypes/ReMortgaging.xml">compare remortgages</a> and mortgages from every lender in the UK. By using the mform <a href="http://www.mform.co.uk">UK mortgage calculator</a> you can work out your monthly costs.