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Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Should I remortgage with my existing bank to avoid paperwork? DAVID HOLLINGWORTH replies
I'm remortgaging for the first time and am set to switch from my current mortgage with Halifax to NatWest in September. However, it's proving more taxing than I thought. I applied for the mortgage and had the offer, but am now faced with a huge amount of admin which I didn't expect. I've just had a baby and this is hard to manage. The lawyers that have been assigned my case have been sending email after email relating to various documents and costs. They say I need to pay £90 to deal with a Land Registry anti-fraud restriction on the title deeds. They want me to sign and witness a mortgage deed and to also send proof of ID and address that have been certified by a solicitor. On top of that they need me to sign and return their terms of business and fill in a 20 page questionnaire which requires me repeating most of the stuff I have already filled in for my application. They have also sent emails requesting a copy of the lease. Would it make sense to just stick with Halifax and move to a new product with them to avoid this mountain of paperwork? Someone told me lenders sometimes offer preferential rates to their existing customers. Is that true? David Hollingworth replies: A mortgage is likely to be the single biggest cost that you face each month, so it makes sense to keep it as low as possible. Failing to be proactive could easily result in you spending thousands of pounds more than necessary each year. Most deals will revert onto a higher variable rate at the end of any incentive period, such when a two or five-year fixed rate ends. This rate could easily be two or three per cent higher than the rates on offer elsewhere. Shopping around for a better deal is important and with thousands of different products you should include all options, whether from another lender or your existing lender. I'll explain what the process involves, whether you switch to another bank or building society or stay put. Remortgaging to another lender: What it involves The process of remortgaging to a new lender is in essence a simple one, but if you're not prepared for what's coming your way it can feel like a lot to take on board. As well as applying for the mortgage itself, there will also be a valuation of the property by the lender and some legal work to put the new mortgage into effect. In theory the valuation and legal work could add more cost, although many lenders will often provide incentives to counter those costs, providing a free basic valuation and help with the basic remortgage legal work. That could either be through the lender's nominated solicitor, or through a cashback on completion designed to cover all or most of the cost of using your own solicitor. While basic legal work is covered, there can be other costs depending on the circumstances. Leasehold title is certainly something that can add cost, as the freeholder may charge a fee for providing any necessary responses to the solicitor's enquiries. The solicitor will ask you for a copy of the lease in an effort to speed things up and potentially limit charges from the freeholder. The anti-fraud restriction you have been asked to pay for is something that you will have opted into. It means a solicitor has to sign off any attempted change to your property's information on the Land Registry. However, it does also mean that there's a need for enhanced verification of ID, leading to the need for solicitor certification and added administration costs. Finally, there will be a need for some form filling and there could be a feeling of déjà vu. There's plenty of moving parts in what is a relatively straightforward switch and that can lead to duplication of requests. What about a product transfer? It's always worth considering what your existing lender will offer when shopping around, and lenders have got a lot better in offering customers new deals to switch to. It's understandable that, with the arrival of your new baby, this admin may all feel too much when you have so much on your plate. Staying with the existing lender and switching on a like-for-like basis with no change to amount or term won't require a new affordability check or proof of income. There's also no legal work, as you're not taking a new mortgage with a different lender and are simply switching rate. That will reduce the paperwork but also the choice, so you need to consider the rate compared to the NatWest deal and others in the market. Some lenders can offer existing customers rates on par or even a little better than for new customers, but that doesn't mean they are the best on the market. You will need to specifically check what Halifax will offer, as it's a lender that offers rates set depending on the individual customer. Advice will help Using an adviser will offer benefits whichever path you go down and help cut through some of the jargon. They will also be able to consider other elements, such as reducing the term or overpaying to cut your total interest bill. That may not be high on your priority list now but could be relevant in coming years. Importantly, they will be able to access the Halifax product transfer rates and give a clear comparison to the NatWest deal and others on the market. This will give you clarity of the cost, which will help you decide whether the remortgage option will offer bigger savings and potentially make the form-filling worthwhile. GET YOUR MORTGAGE QUESTION ANSWERED David Hollingworth is This is Money's mortgage expert and a broker at L&C Mortgages - one of Britain's leading specialists. He is ready to answer your home loan questions, whether you are buying your first home, trying to remortgage amid the rates chaos or looking to plan further ahead. If you would like to ask him a question about mortgages, email: editor@ with the subject line: Mortgage help Please include as many details as possible in your question in order for him to respond in-depth. David will do his best to reply to your message in a forthcoming column, but he won't be able to answer everyone or correspond privately with readers. Nothing in his replies constitutes regulated financial advice. Published questions are sometimes edited for brevity or other reasons.
The Sun
24-05-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Four savvy tips to get on top of weekly admin and planning to save cash
A SUNDAY reset – where you get on top of your weekly admin and planning – is a great way to prepare for the Monday-to-Friday grind. Not only will it save you time in the working week, it should also save you money. Here's some tips . . . PREP MEALS: This is a cornerstone of the Sunday reset. By batch-cooking dishes, you can avoid last-minute take-aways or pricey ready meals. Your batch-cook menu might include Bolognese sauce, a chicken or veggie curry or chilli, and a sausage casserole. All of them can be cooked in advance, divided into portions and kept in the fridge or freezer for an easy mid-week meal. ZAP ADMIN: Now is the time to tackle your overflowing inbox and towering pile of papers. Go through your paperwork and bills and dedicate an hour or two to sorting-out-your-life admin. If you've got a friend's birthday looming, choose a present now, instead of making a more expensive panic buy. Still got an hour to spare? Delete emails you don't need, and unsubscribe from mailing lists. Then do a thorough blitz of recent photos on your phone, only keeping the ones you really want. MAKE A BUDGET: Review what you spent over the last seven days, so you can see where you could have saved. Once that's done, you can create a budget for the week ahead. Track subscriptions and cancel any you don't use, then work out how to budget for big costs over the longer term. CREATE A CALENDAR: Look at what's coming up in the weeks ahead and add to your diary or calendar. Hidden button to get designer dupes at a massive discount Note the dates of upcoming bills and write down important deadlines or appointments. Schedule tasks such as fine payments, or return dates, to avoid late fees. All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability. 7 Deal of the day FOR fancy floors, Dunelm's Hani floral wool rug (160 x 230cm) is down from £249 to £174.30. Cheap treat 7 COMPLETE your look with Tula black-and-gold earrings from Oliver Bonas, down from £19.50 to £5. Top swap 7 GET that happy feeling with Magnum Euphoria pink lemonade sticks, £4.25 at Sainsbury's for three, or cool off with Gianni's Luxury Pink Lemonade Chocsticks, from Aldi, £2.49. Shop & save SURF Magnifi-Scent Wash sunshine blossom laundry detergent is half price with a Tesco Clubcard, down from £6.50 to £3.25.= PLAY NOW TO WIN £200 7 JOIN thousands of readers taking part in The Sun Raffle. Every month we're giving away £100 to 250 lucky readers - whether you're saving up or just in need of some extra cash, The Sun could have you covered. Every Sun Savers code entered equals one Raffle ticket.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Teacher hailed for 'fantastic' response when pupils' parents criticise them
A teacher has shared the 'legendary' come back they give to stroppy parents who issue the same criticism. With ever-evolving demands, relentless marking and continuous organisation working in a school is not for the faint-hearted. On top of managing classrooms full of children, teachers must also contend with pupils' parents - some of whom may be vocal about their teaching techniques. But one person has shared their perfect response to parents who feel they can critique teachers' methods by arguing they are taxpayers and 'pay the salary' of state educators. Writing on the discussion forum Reddit, one teacher, believed to be from the US, revealed their go-to response to the divisive comment, writing: 'As a teacher, I hear this at least twice a school year, the 'My taxes pay your salary. That makes me your boss' line. 'My response (my admin has stopped fighting me on this): 'If you're my boss, where are the supplies and resources I've been promised? When are you going to supply my updated curriculum? What about the extra pay for working outside contract hours?' 'When they stumble over those I follow it up with, 'Wait a minute. I pay taxes too. I guess that makes me self employed. Thank you for your time. This meeting is finished'.' The comment, which appeared the sub-Reddit forum Entitled People, received 1,800 upvotes, with several hailing the 'fantastic' response. With ever-evolving demands, relentless marking and continuous organisation, it's fair to say that working in a school isn't a job fit for the faint hearted One wrote: 'My friend who is a policeman (garda) in Ireland says whenever someone says that they pay his salary, he says 'great boss, I've been meaning to talk to you about that raise'.' An enthused second wrote: 'Legend!!!! What a fantastic reply!' One, who also appeared to work in the education industry, wrote: Awesome! In true teacher style, I'm gonna borrow this'. A third said: 'One of my favorite memories of my former boss, a local planning director, was when a particularly rude person used that line on him (I pay your salary), and he reached in his pocket, pulled out about $1.75 in change and handed it to him and said this is about your share of my salary. You can have it back.' Even some sympathetic parents were quick to side with the teacher, praising them for them for their efforts towards educating the younger generation. One wrote: 'Also, thank you! I adore my kids' teachers - people don't understand how much of your own time & money (student supplies/food for example when they forget or family has limited resources) you provide to your students. 'I see it and appreciate the hell out of it,' they praised. Having to respond to difficult comments from parents isn't the only thing that keeps teachers up at night. As the global population continues to grow at a rapid rate, more and more parents are forced to get creative when it comes to assigning a unique name to their children. But as names become more unique, school teachers have an ever trickier task when they go through the daily register, in ensuring they read out their pupils' monikers correctly. One teacher, from a 'rural northeast' state in the US, anonymously took to Reddit in January to share a register of unconventional names from their second grade class. In a post shared to the popular subreddit r/tragedeigh, the teacher uploaded a list of 17 names as part of the class's participation in a Valentine's card exchange. The teacher added a humorous caption, which read: 'Second Grade Valentines List - Thoughts? Opinions? Prayers?' Among the more familiar names are those such as Ella, Ian, Shane, Derrick, Keegan, Brooklyn, Jesse and Wyatt. Others, however, are a little more rare, as the remainder are revealed as: Kurstein, Averiella, Raeleigh, Paisyn, Skuyler, Emmitt, Kohen, LaKendren and Malaki. The post has since amassed over 360 comments, as horrified Redditors were left scratching their heads while working out the pronunciation of some names, while others slammed parents for 'criminal' spellings. One person wrote: 'Feel like some of these spellings should be considered a felony. Maybe that's dramatic. Okay a misdemeanor, but some of these are downright criminal.' They added: 'Skuyler tho… 'skool-yurr' is how my brain reads that. I feel like there were better ways to do that, even if it would've still been a tragadeigh… there were better ways.' Another said: '"Kurstein" bothers me the most because OP said they pronounce it "kirsten," but my brain automatically thought "kur-steen." 'Great job to those parents. you tried to be uNiQuE but now your kid is gonna have her name mispronounced her whole life.'
