Advantages: very friendly helpful staff, can offer services to the likes of me (!) whereas otherlenders wrote me off as a liability Disadvantages: none really
...I was confident that the Halifax would give me the best mortgage deal.
At the next appointment, an application of £30,000 was run through the system as an example. More and more details were being put on file. It seemed my application would be approved, and once the business advisor had later passed my application the mortgage advisor went to a lot of trouble to let me know about it, ringing me at 8pm from her home after she’d rung the bank ... ...at the time!
The Halifax has lots of mortgages available, and the one that caught my eye was the 5 year fixed interest mortgage, with the interest fixed at about 1% higher than the Bank of England's current interest rates. So for the five years of my course, I would be paying a fixed monthly sum and it would only start to vary with the current interest rate when I had started working. This would equate to paying rent, as that’s a fixed monthly ...
judithritchie 28.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: Seem Good At The Time Disadvantages: Beware Small Print And New Deals
...know the heading is the Halifax but I’ll come to that). The Leeds had a branch in our village and a nice little man who wanted to help us. We saved the necessary 10% deposit, and he advised the balance would be best served by an endowment mortgage. Now we all know many endowments are now not making enough to pay off mortgages, but so far, touch wood, ours seems to be ok. Having said that I have memories of being told it would pay the mortgage ... ...A few years later the Halifax took over the Leeds Building Society and therefore also took over our mortgage. In 1997 we moved house, taking with us the profit from the sale of the old house to put on the new property. As the Halifax was due to announce giving shares to its customers, it was in our best interest to stay with them and also not to have a break in the mortgage. That way we also qualified for Halifax shares. I think it amounted to something ...
milmol 23.11.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: Great service from the biggest lender Disadvantages: There are still one or two better deals out there
...an appointment with my local Halifax branch for 7pm the following night (yes! 7pm - they open until 8pm in the Trafford Centre!). On entering what is a very large branch, I wandered over to a reception point to make the only visible member of staff aware of my presence. I was advised that my Mortgage Adviser, Carole, would probably be 15 minutes or so as her previous appointment was over running. I did not really mind, especially as the supplied ... ...early and let me know Halifax charge a similar figure of around £125 in the same circumstances - standard practice grrrr. She then delved a little further in to my circumstances asking me what I planned to do with my £83 a month. To be honest, other than enjoying more money in my pocket, I had no plans. She asked me how comfortable I was with my Standard Life endowment policy. I admitted that I would prefer guarantees rather than relying on Standard ...
daveops 23.04.2003 (24.04.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: good for 1st time buyers Disadvantages: did not offer a good rate after fixed term ended, overcharge customers
...of having a mortgage with Halifax and am not reviewing Halifax and it’s services as a whole. I am very much aware that for some they have had a great experience with them, but for me after being a loyal customer for such a long time. I felt that they had let me down and recently I realised that I had overpaid when my mortgage came to an end and successfully received a refund from them.
Halifax is a leading building society and has been providing ... ...of Halifax for over 10 years as my parents insisted when I was younger that I had a Building Society savings account (at the time it was the Little Extra Club) so that when the time came for me to get on the property ladder, it would make it easier to get a mortgage if I already had an account with them. So the time came in 2001 when my now husband and I went to Halifax for our first mortgage. We chose Halifax as they were very competitive at the ...
sweetdaisy 21.10.2006 (19.08.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: I see no advantages of using the Halifax Disadvantages: The information WE recieved from them was incorrect and misleading
The Halifax have recently spent vasts amounts of money on there new advertising campaign. This is where my opinions on the bank start.
In 1990, my wife and i took out a mortgage with the Halifax for £30k.
It bought us a nice 2 bedroom terraced house which was ideal for a first time buyer. The area was, at the time, very respectible. Unfortunately, soon after the prices of houses fell, the area went to the dogs! Various types of unwanted fellows ... ...5 years, went to the Halifax and asked them for help in getting out! Our financial situation had changed for the worse and the only solution they could come up with was to sell up and pay off the mortgage! This was not to be the case. We waited 3 years before we had our fisrt interested buyer!! They declined. More help was sort from the Halifax, who this time told us to "Voluntary vacate" the property by giving them the keys back!!!! This at the ...
cobnutty 29.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: Big - if that's an advantage Disadvantages: Inefficient, slow, right hand doesn't know what the left is doing
...moved our mortgage from the Halifax after five years. Actually, we started with the Leeds, which was organised somewhat better and which knew how to treat its customers. At Halifax, you're a number and not a name. You don't deal with a branch, you deal with central administration. And each time you call you get a different answer.
When we moved house a year ago, we considered moving our mortgage as well, and called the Halifax to find out whether ... ...to be told by the Halifax that we were not outside our tied period and that they would demand three months' payments as a penalty.
This year, we remortgaged, and once the process was advanced we asked the Halifax for a completion statement. It never came. Our solicitor also asked, and it didn't come. Three days before completion the solicitor faxed and phoned, was assured that one would be sent... and it didn't come. Finally, on the day of completion, ...
quadruped 06.12.2000
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Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: Make you feel better about the way you do your own job. Disadvantages: Difficult to contact, inept when you finally manage it, unable to answer straight questions. Underhand
...in 1984. I used the Halifax B.S. for reasons that escape me after all these years. In fairness to them, everything was generally quite painless. However, I did have cause to raise a couple of queries with them and remember that it was awfully hard work and when I moved after three years vowed that I would not use the Halifax again.
In 2003 we moved to our present address and our broker recommended a Halifax mortgage, fixed for three years, and with ... ...weeks that were lost while Halifax got the right documents to us meant that we were sweating by the time we actually had the money in place.
We moved in and the mortgage payments were taken efficiently for the first few months, and we managed to make an overpayment each month as we had always hoped to do. We were happy that, having taken a fixed rate mortgage, we would always know what our payments were and would be able to budget accordingly. Then ...
cwestern 15.04.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: Good rates No tied in period or redemption charges. Quick service Disadvantages: Where to put the deeds.
...mortgage from Barclays to the Halifax and save over £300 a month
Look in the newspapers, or on the net www.halifax.co.uk and often you will see the Halifax have special offers. Wait until you find a good rate as they do change regularly.
My one has no fixed term, hence no nasty repayments shocks if you wish to cancel.
The phonecall was free and went through the quickest and most helpful call centre I have ever used.
After a few questions and ... ...the next day.
The Halifax did all the conveyancing work at no charge and I even upped the loan, as I needed cash, without a problem.
As I was borrowing less than 60% of the value of my house, they even let me have more than the normal 3 times salary. All paperwork was completed within 3 weeks and I now have an excellent rate mortgage, but one I am not tied down with and can move when the time is right.
One disadvantage, they do not keep the deeds, ...
shilling 12.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Large amount of interest
...over 2yrs ago with the Halifax whom I found to be very helpful. It was suggested that I take out at the same time building insurance, which I obviously had to have, with them as it would make life so much easier.This I elected to pay alongside my mortgage repayments monthly.
When it came up to the yearly renewal I received the quote from the Halifax and decided to ring round other insurance brokers to see if I could obtain abetter rate. After afew ... ...the insurance. I contacted the Halifax to inform them and wanted to know what my monthly repayments would be minus the building insurance. I was informed that the repayments would stay the same, I was baffled and I just couldnt understand why when I would not be having the benifit of the insurance. After several telephone calls it was explained to me that I was not exactly paying for the insurance now, the yearly figure was being added to my mortgage. ...
jess58 14.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
...fiance is currently with the halifax for his mortgage and I have never seen sneakier tactics by people you are trusting.
To put you in the picture, he went to his solicitors who advised the halifax would be the best option in his cicumstances. The first meeting took place between himself and the halifax who informed him they would be able to help no problem.
The problem arrived when he was told he would have to pay a £700.00 deposit at this point ... ...only the £700.00 but a halifax gold card also with a credit limit of ONLY £3000.00!!!!!
My fiance used the money as a home improvement loan as hed been told to wait acouple of weeks then the little lady would apply for a much more reasonable loan which could be incorporated into the mortgage repayments.
Everything explained and understood he was told his loan should be through by the following week deposited straight into his bank account so feeling ...
dennieimod 10.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: Easy to apply,low interest rates Disadvantages: Some very big problems in customer service
...have got my mortgage with Halifax for nearly 4 years now nad I haven't experienced any problems, until they decided to cut the interst rate for newcomers. As existing customers you had to apply for this cut, which wasn't very fair. However, I have phoned them up and the person on the phone told me about their new mortgage, which charges interest daily and is therefore better for the customer. I told them I would like to change my existing mortgage ... ...me the documents to sign. But when the documents arrived, it says in the contract that they charge interest annually, so I phoned them up again, they apologised and told me they would send me the right documents. When the second set of documents arrived there was an apology and they said the interest would now be charged daily. However, in the contract I had to sign it said again that they charge interest annually, which meant I had to phone them ...
Udo1 06.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: none whatsoever Disadvantages: Them being on the high street,the internet or anywhere else
...existing mortgage was with the Halifax we went to ask their advice on a new mortgage. As we had been on a fixed rate mortgage 2 years previous the Halifax told us we could not leave them for another mortgage provider unless we paid a fee of 1500.00. This was an expense we could not afford and stayed with them. We had gone into negative equity on our property and so therefore had to pay off what we could,which basically meant she asked for our savings ... ...a phone call from the halifax saying i'm sorry but they want you to repay over 2 years instead of 25 years. I explained how they had already told me it had been approved and surely could not move the goal posts as i was waiting to complete my sale. I discussed, i argued and i spoke to many managers of their different departments. I went through the compaints procedure and still got knowhere. Eventually a week later they said the best i can do is ...
cleverdevil 06.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
...have had a mortgage with Halifax for approximately 10 years and I would say that while they appear great when they are trying to get your money out of you, things soon change when you're hooked - and they make sure you are well hooked.
After several years of always having one or other of their short term reduced rates I took a 2 year fixed rate deal. Yes I should have read the small print as I was hooked in for three years to their variable rate ... ...rates are always extreme and while they are always fast to increase rates, they are slow to reduce them. Furthermore, once you stop being a first time buyer or new customer, you have tyo fight to get the reduced rates that the new customers get automatically - so if you're being tempted by the Halifak as a new customer, stop to consider your next house move.
Finally, I correspond frequently (because they don't have email help facilities and they ...
haconsulting 04.04.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: seem to be pretty cheap Disadvantages: Interest Rates can go up as well as down
...i.e. shopping around, and the Halifax has offered me the best deal. I am aware they are the market leader for lenders, so this was my first choice, and I was even surprised myself to find how cheap they were. The mortgage I’m going to go for is a Fixed Variable Mortgage (contradiction I know). The mortgage is discounted a lot for 3 or five years then, it goes up to just below the rate of interest. This may be risky if the Bank of England raises ... ...questions and got an answer there and then. The customer service was really good as well, everything was explained well, which was great as I didn't know anything about mortgages before I went in. So my overall opinion of Halifax mortgages is:- You could do a lot worse. ...
sbaker69 15.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Their staff are obviously paid too much commission
...had a mortgage interview with Halifax yesterday. Being a little wet behind the ears, we hoped that we would be able to talk to someone who would explain the difference between capped and fixed rates, variable and discounted ones. The only thing we did know is that we wanted a repayment mortgage and not one linked with an investment fund. We went in and sat down. The first thing he did was to approve our mortgage status. After that was done he spent ... ...was a mistake, but he gave it to us anyway. I know they are on commission for selling these types of mortgage, but please! This guy must have been desparate. We weren't very impressed with either his style or the Halifax interest rate so we are going elsewhere. ...
Motley 26.03.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Halifax Mortgages
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