A couple who were told they wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage because one of them uses the ‘Mx’ title are celebrating after forcing their bank into a U-turn.
Ruth Sabini-Roberts and her wife G, who are aged 40 and 43, put a complaint into Halifax after the lender said their system didn’t recognise the non-binary title.
G uses the full name Mx G C Sabini-Roberts on their bank account and driving licences.
But the couple - who have four kids and run a company promoting LGBTQ+ awareness for businesses - were told 'Mx' could not be included on their mortgage application.
Instead, they were told the only options were 'Mrs' or 'Miss' for G.
Ruth and G feared their dream move to the £335,000, five-bed, converted warehouse property on the outskirts of Oswestry, Shrops would fall through.
But they have now been told their mortgage offer has been amended to allow G's 'Mx' title after they made a formal complaint.
G said: "It is a flag in the sand for acceptance for trans and non-binary people."
The couple - who have been together for four years - first found out that G's name wouldn't be correct on the application on January 20.
They claim there was no issue financially with them getting the mortgage offer for the house.
G added: "We found our dream home and applied for a mortgage. It wasn't easy, as we are self-employed.
"We found a great broker and he got us one with Halifax. It was agreed in principle, and we got the formal offer. Our broker had been finalising it all this week.
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"But he emailed my wife to say that Halifax would only accept 'Mrs' or 'Miss' as my title on the mortgage.
"My legal name is Mx G C Sabini-Roberts. I am non-binary, and I changed my name by deed poll a couple of years ago.
"My bank accounts are all Mx, as is my drivers licence. It is my legal name. I was scared that this might mean we lose the house, which we've already invested so much in.
"We've pulled ourselves up from the poverty line over the last four years, fully self-employed, to get here."
After lodging a formal complaint, Lloyds Banking Group - the parent company of Halifax - finally told on February 2 that they had found a way to make it happen.
Ruth and G now hope it is a landmark moment for non-binary customers or anyone who uses 'Mx' in the future.
G, who runs a company called The Queer Box, added: "No one was unpleasant to us. We did not feel discriminated against. We did not have to fight to get them to take attention.
"But we did have to stand our ground and refuse to accept anything other than my legal name.
"Halifax recognised they had a problem, but they didn't know how to fix it.
"We were lucky that we were not in a big chain. If we were, we could have lost our house because of the delays this has caused."
A Halifax spokesperson said: 'We're pleased that we have been able to help Mx Sabini-Roberts.
"All correspondence relating to Mx Sabini-Roberts's mortgage will use preferred pronouns."
