4 years before the property was repossessed it was valued at 580k by an RICS Surveyor and the price was in line with properties in the local area. During that 4 year period the property remained the same and was not altered and did not suffer structurally etc and in the local area for the same type of home increased in value by approx 24%. After the repossession 2 RICS Surveyors were separately instructed by the mortgage company to value the property. They came with very different figures from each other and the original survey 4 years prior at £510k and £450k. But these figures were again altered (I had no idea this had taken place until the SAR request) The mortgage company’s agent had contacted one of the Surveyors via email with the following conversation Subject – Urgent Valuers comments required Good Morning ………… Further to your recent valuation carried out on the above property. Our Corporate Client has asked us to write to you for your comments. The results of the survey show an 11.7% differential between the two recommended asking prices, a 13.3% differential between the two market value figures and a 19.4% differential between the PMV’S As you can appreciate , this is quite a difference. Our Client requires there to be no more than 10% differential between these figures. I would be grateful if you could contact (the other surveyor’s name and company was then given) and come to some sort of compromise – The number is ……….. Please reply to us by email – should you require further info or assistance please contact me – Later that day the surveyors sent back emails with revised figures Subject Re- Urgent Valuers Comments required Hello – Just spoken to ………. Revised figures mine are listed first Asking £485,000 MV £475,000 PMV £455,000 Asking: - £450,000 MV: - £440,000 PMV: - £420,000 Regards There was a discrepancy in the measurements taken in each survey – one measured the gross external floor area of main building 160 Sq .M and the other at 151 Sq .M Is this normal for Mortgage companies to ask surveyors to alter their figures this way and is it legal/ethical/fair practise etc?

Avoid getting any credit card from Vanquis. My experience is they are unethical and do not care about UK credit regulations. I have had nothing but un substainated charges applied to the card up to £1000. They claimed mistakes and errors and keep saying they will refund but instead keep adding charges. I had to make one claim when I paid a deposit for flights to Spain but the agency I paid to went bust, ATOL advised me Vanquis should refund the costs. I applied to Vanquis who said they would freeze interest and charges. Instead they charged double interest for going over limit + fixed charge of £51 for going over limit and then claim they did not receive my application for a refund and say it is too late to dispute it now even though the transaction is less then 30 Days old. The staff on the phone have been extremely rude, they keep you holding on and pass you department to department at premium rate calls. It has cost me another £100 just trying to talk to them. I have raised a complaint with financial regulatory body and provided details of my case. I would avoid them at all cost.

[sorry, haven't figured out how to qoute from another thread] {and as if by magic - it's quoted!! - Erika xx} I've been on the 'assessment phase' of ESA since November 2008 and should have a Tribunal hearing sometime after March the first. My understanding is that, as I don't yet get the disability premium, I'm not eligible for CWP. My last spirometry test showed my level of COPD at 'severe'. Cold weather is not friendly to me! The reason I've suddenly hit a bit of a crisis was due to having to renew my car tax [£104.50 for 6 months] a few days ago. If I take my time I can walk ok'ish but there is no way I could survive without my car. I live in a country village with minimal public transport. [it's a four mile round tip to my corner shop!] There seemed to be very few options left for me to try to skimp and limp through the next few weeks. Already skipping some bills but others have to be met. The most crippling thing at the moment is the electric. [No gas out here]. I'm on a key meter, Economy 7 night storage heaters. This is costing me over £25 a week. That's probably less than most people but it's a lot to me. I only have one cooked meal a day and have three heaters on. Apart from a few small appliances that's pretty much it. So I turned off the heating. Not an easy decision tbh, but I thought I can always wear a coat to bed! I know key meters are expensive but I don't want a quarterly bill I can't afford to meet. However I've got to reduce this outgoing somehow. So I phoned Southern Electric to enquire how I can change to a quarterly meter. They said they'd have to do a credit check first of all. I knew I wouldn't pass that and promptly burst into tears! I ended up having to explain what I'd done and, to be fair, he was pretty appalled especially with the state of my health. He arranged for me to be added to their list of 'heat dependant' customers. One of the benefits of which is that they bypass the credit check. They also run a rebate scheme for the vulnerable which he's sending me details about. And then he said he'd spoken to his Manager and he was sending me a new key with £20 credit to make sure I had heat for a while. [That was yesterday and the key arrived this morning! So I have been able to put the heating back on]. I'm grateful to Southern Electric for their help and I'll soon be off the key meter. I do have an appointment with CAB on the 12th regarding my Tribunal and I'll be speaking to them about what else I can do. Apologies for the mega post but, if someone else is in a similar situation, I hope my experience can help. Rae.

I have a creditor making a claim against me using a firm of solicitors who appear to be behaving incorrectly. The claim has been made and a defence will be filed. However the solicitors have proceeeded to send me two e.mails with PDF versions of the claim complete with responce pack, then amazingly the details of claim appeared at my workplace in an open envelope with no address or covering letter. God knows how many people have had access to this info. This must be unethical, and possibly illegal. It appears just to have been done maliciously in order to bring pressure to bear. Could you give me some advice how to proceed against the solicitors please.

Hi, Wonder if anyone has any advice on this rather annoying situation. I've been made liable (apparently) for council tax debts relating to a property I lived in over 5 years ago. This would be fine apart from the fact the property was shared between 5 people and I was claiming council tax benefit while I lived there (to complicate matters). Somehow my name was left on the bill (I thought the bill had been paid when I moved out and didn't realise it was in my name) and bills were being sent to the old address which I never received. Eventually baliffs were brought in, found my new address and sent me letters relating to the old address. I spoke to the council and explained but they weren't much help but suggested I wrote to them and obtained tenancy contracts etc. Luckily I managed to get hold of the contracts from the estate agents we rented from and I sent them to the council explaining the situation (it was one contract for the whole house). They still weren't much help and said they wanted forwarding addresses. I only have the address of one person I shared with so I sent them that but they are still sending me bills in my name! Now it's got to a magistrate's letter. What should I do? Can I defend myself in court and get it thrown out? Should I contact the council before the court appearance and try (yet again) to get them to do the right thing? I can't afford to pay other people's debts and refuse to do so on principle. If anyone has any advice about what to do or what legal position I'm in I'd be extremely grateful. Very angry with Bham City Council over this, outrageous behaviour! Thanks.

Hi, My partner has been pursued by Mackenzie Hall for a credit card debt we know is not his for years. The first and surname is correct but the middle name incorrect. We have asked them a number of times to cease their harassment and requested a copy of the agreement and who the debt is owed to. Today an agreement arrived but it is NOT my partner's as we knew because we have never had a credit card. This agreement lists the other persons date of birth, no of dependants, address, previous address and bank account details!!!! It also has a letter attached to it that the debtor has written to the credit card company also including personal details about their financial status, employment and savings. This cannot be legal or ethical! We are furious and want to take some advice form you guys so that we handle this in the best way possible because these people need to be stopped!!! Who do we complain to first, and would it be an idea to contact this person's bank (not the same bank they held their credit card with) and let them know personal accounting details are being passed to strangers? We really want these people stopped so want to calm down and then take the appropriate action against them. Cheers,