I am eight months pregnant and have had a joint mortgage application rejected after being asked by a Santander customer services agent if I was expecting a child. We currently have a mortgage with Santander and were hoping to port it to our new house. Initially, my husband and I had been told we could borrow £170,000 on the basis of my income. My husband is self-employed and will be the full-time carer for our child once my maternity leave ends. I’ve now been told that, because I will have an extra dependent, we can only borrow £140,000. Santander’s terms and conditions state that they do not discriminate against pregnant women. I have complained, but am told it will take up to eight weeks to resolve.
BD, Newcastle
It is illegal for lenders to ask customers if they are pregnant, vital though the answer may be. Banks have to tread a tricky path between the mortgage market review of 2014 and the Equality Act 2010 when deciding whether to lend. The 2014 review followed the financial crash and requires lenders to question applicants about their circumstances in more detail than previously, to ensure they can afford the repayments. The Equality Act forbids discrimination on grounds of pregnancy. The agent could, therefore, ask if you expect your circumstances to change, but most definitely could not ask if you were pregnant.
