Almost one in ten pregnant women feel lenders have discriminated against them when applying for a mortgage.
Women looking to take out a mortgage may want to apply before they become pregnant, as one in ten expectant mothers felt they were being turned down by lenders because of their pregnant state, The Express reports.
This fear of discrimination has led a quarter of women to intentionally hide family plans during the application process, survey results by comparison site Uswitch.com show.
The Financial Ombudsman Service had observed an increase in the number of complaints from women who were expecting, saying they had been unfairly rejected for a home loan.
A spokesperson for the FOS said: "We don’t think it’s fair to penalise people solely because lending procedures don’t allow for being pregnant.
"Provided, of course, that you could still demonstrate you’re ability to pay even if your circumstances changed.
"Having a baby is something that many people across the UK will experience each year. And it goes without saying that being pregnant – or taking maternity leave – should not automatically preclude you from taking out a mortgage."
"Having a child will reduce the amount you can borrow as lenders will take into account you will have a dependent to look after and also any potential child care costs," said Daniel Bailey, a UK mortgage broker at Middleton Finance.
"This will have a big impact on how much you can borrow and potentially getting the mortgage you need. It's important to speak to a mortgage broker who can advise you on options available to you as lenders criteria does vary."
This fear of discrimination has led a quarter of women to intentionally hide family plans during the application process, survey results by comparison site Uswitch.com show.
The Financial Ombudsman Service had observed an increase in the number of complaints from women who were expecting, saying they had been unfairly rejected for a home loan.
A spokesperson for the FOS said: "We don’t think it’s fair to penalise people solely because lending procedures don’t allow for being pregnant.
"Provided, of course, that you could still demonstrate you’re ability to pay even if your circumstances changed.
"Having a baby is something that many people across the UK will experience each year. And it goes without saying that being pregnant – or taking maternity leave – should not automatically preclude you from taking out a mortgage."
"Having a child will reduce the amount you can borrow as lenders will take into account you will have a dependent to look after and also any potential child care costs," said Daniel Bailey, a UK mortgage broker at Middleton Finance.
"This will have a big impact on how much you can borrow and potentially getting the mortgage you need. It's important to speak to a mortgage broker who can advise you on options available to you as lenders criteria does vary."
