Skipton Building Society has extended standard mortgage offer validity from six to nine months for residential, remortgage and buy-to-let cases. The change is designed to give clients more time where chains, legal work, surveys or other transaction issues delay completion, and may reduce the risk of an otherwise suitable offer expiring mid-process.
Meanwhile, the Government has confirmed that shared-ownership income caps will rise in the new year after a decade-long freeze, potentially expanding access for more households. Advisers should not treat a longer offer period as a reason to relax case management: keep clients updated on material changes to income, commitments, property value and credit profile, and review scheme eligibility early as revised income thresholds emerge.