UKAR Accused of Mistreating Landlord Mortgage Borrowers

Angry landlord borrowers have accused UK Asset Resolution (UKAR) the body created by the government to oversee mortgages originally arranged by Northern Rock and Bradford & Bingley of treating them badly. Many mortgage customers allege that UKARs heavy-handed policies have caused a host of difficulties for landlords and tenants alike, such as the collapse of businesses, the fire sale of properties at well below the market value, and a large number of evictions. UKAR was set up in 2008 after the collapse of Northern Rock and Bradford and Bingley, and was given responsibility for some £77 billion worth of mortgages. It was tasked with trying to get the taxpayer some value for the billions spent in banking bailouts. However, landlords have alleged that the taxpayer is just one of the parties losing out thanks to UKARs insistence on placing thousands of properties in receivership, failing to carry out proper maintenance and selling them for well below their market value. Many landlords have got together via consumer websites and action groups to air their grievances and discuss possible action. As their properties have little or no equity they are unable to find another mortgage lender, while UKAR appears hell-bent on getting the mortgages off its books as quickly as possible. Landlord mortgages are not covered by the watchdog Financial Services Authority due to a quirk of legislation, meaning that the landlords cannot invoke the FSAs insistence on treating customers fairly. However, a UKAR spokesman has insisted that it is doing just that, saying: UKAR has around 750,000 mortgages on its books. Whether a homeowner or a landlord, we aim to deal with everyone fairly and sensibly. We understand that landlords with little or no equity face particular problems and we will always try and do our best to deal with these on a case by case basis.