Mortgages
If you have a problem with your mortgage – or you’re unhappy with your mortgage broker or advice you were given – we may be able to help.
This page will tell you about the mortgage complaints we deal with and what will happen if you bring your complaint to us.
On this page
Handling complaints about mortgages?
What is a mortgage?
A mortgage is a long-term loan that you use to buy property. This is usually your home, but it’s also possible to take out a mortgage to buy a property to let.
You may have bought your mortgage through a broker or directly from your bank or building society. You may have had professional advice which you now feel wasn’t right for you.
We’re here to help with complaints about financial businesses who provide or sell mortgage products, and other forms of home finance.
Can you complain about your mortgage?
Yes. You will need to complain to the business first. If they don’t reply, or you’re not happy with their final response, you can contact us.
We can look at complaints about financial firms who were involved at any stage of the process – such as lenders, mortgage advisers or brokers. We investigate complaints about:
- most lending secured on residential – and some commercial – property
- non-mortgage products, including home purchase plans – sometimes known as Islamic mortgages
- specialist products, such as equity release plans aimed at older borrowers
Bringing your complaint to us
Our service is free and easy to use.
When you bring a complaint to us about a mortgage, it's our job to weigh up all the facts. We’ll make a decision about what happened using evidence from you, the financial business and any relevant third parties. We'll also consider:
- the relevant law
- any regulations that applied at the time
- any industry codes of conduct that were in force at the time
When we've finished investigating, we’ll tell you whether we think the business treated you fairly or not. And we’ll explain how we reached our decision.
If we think the business treated you unfairly, we'll tell them to put you back where you'd be if they hadn't made a mistake. We might also ask them to make an award for any distress and inconvenience caused.
How long it takes
The time it takes for us to investigate a complaint depends on what it's about, how complex it is and how quickly we can get all the information we need.
You can read more about our process on our how long it takes page.
What is your complaint about?
For more information about how we can help with a complaint about a specific type of mortgage product or service, use the links below.
Useful resources
MoneyHelper offer guidance on what to do if you're struggling to pay your mortgage and where to get free debt advice.
Whether you’re considering an investment, pension opportunity, loan or other financial service, use the Financial Conduct Authority’s Firm Checker to confirm the firm is authorised and help avoid scams. You should also check the contact details match those listed on Firm Checker to avoid scammers pretending to be a real firm.