Payment queries
What happens if I am on a tracker rate or a standard variable rate?
Our tracker rates are linked to the Bank of England base rate administered by the Bank of England, this rate can go up or down which will impact the cost of your mortgage payments.
If you are paying interest at the standard variable rate, your mortgage payments are likely to be affected by changes in these rates. It's important to note that the changes we make to Birmingham Midshires Standard Variable Rate may not change in line with or at the same time as the change to the Bank Rate, as other factors can also influence the rates that we set.
If your account is in arrears and you have a repayment plan in place, please review the terms of the plan as payments may need to be altered.
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What happens when the interest rate changes?
If you pay your mortgage by direct debit, you do not need to do anything as we will automatically change your payment from the date shown. If you do not pay your mortgage by direct debit you will need to ensure that your new payment is made from the date shown in your letter. This could be a good time to consider paying by direct debit. If you would like more information please call us on 0345 300 2627 (our lines are open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm Saturday).
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When will my payment change following an interest rate change?
If you are affected by a change in interest rate and a change to your monthly payment we will write to you before the rate takes effect.
Interest rate changes usually take effect from the 1st of the following month. If your monthly payment is recalculated as a result of a change in our interest rates, following a BoE Base Rate change, we will always give you a minimum of 4 working days' advance notice before the new payment is due. We will always give you more notice when we are able.
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What does APR and APRC mean, and what does it represent?
APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate and APRC stands for Annual Percentage Rate of Charge. This is an annual interest rate which takes account of fees and charges to reflect the total cost of your mortgage. Your Mortgage Illustration will detail the fees which are included in this calculation. Both the APR and APRC are calculated using a standard method to provide an effective way for you to compare quotes from different lenders.
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Do I need to pay separate amounts for my different loans?
Yes, you do need to pay one payment for each account. However, some customers do make more than one payment. If you do this, you may find it more convenient to set up a single payment - just call us and we can change this for you.
If you had more than one account for a property, you had an account number for each. We've now combined these, so you have one account and one account number, and you will need to make one payment for this account.
If you have a Mortgage Plus account, you will have made a single combined payment. This will continue (although we will give you a new account number starting with "66").
If you have a secured personal loan on this property or another mortgage on another property - these will have their own new account numbers, and you will need to make one payment for each new account.
We can collect just one Direct Debit to cover your total monthly payment. Please call us if you'd like us to do this.
Your mortgage may be a combination of different repayment methods with different interest rates over different mortgage terms. If so, your mortgage will be split into multiple parts called sub-accounts. The majority of our customers will have a sub-account 01 which is their main mortgage and a sub-account 99 which holds fees. Some customers may also have a sub-account 98 if they have a mortgage account fee.
Each sub-account has a separate monthly payment that we total before collecting the full amount from you each month. When we receive your total monthly payment, we split it and give each sub-account the amount it needs to ensure you repay your interest charges for that month.
If you pay more than your monthly payment, we'll put what you pay towards each sub-account in the same proportions that we apply your full monthly payments to those sub-accounts, unless you tell us otherwise.
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What if I have made an arrangement to pay a different amount or my account is in arrears?
If you currently have an arrangement to pay an additional payment or reduced amount, any new payment you are notified of may not take this into account. If you pay by direct debit, we will collect the arrangement amount that has been agreed with you. If you do not pay by direct debit, please continue to make the payment that you have agreed with our collections team or contact them to review your arrangement.
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What should I do if my Direct Debit is paid from a savings account?
We no longer accept Direct Debit payments from a savings account. To stay up to date with your mortgage, please call us
on 0345 300 2627 to change your Direct Debit so that the payments come from a current account. If you don't have a
current account, we can discuss other ways of making your payments.
How do I make monthly payments?
Direct Debit
We can set up your Direct Debit over the phone and we'll write to you to confirm your Direct Debit Instruction. Please call us on 0345 300 2627.
You will be covered by the Direct Debit Guarantee. We'll forward your instructions onto your bank authorising them to allow payments to be collected from your account. Your Direct Debit will automatically change if your mortgage payment changes. You won't need to take any action and we'll write to you to confirm the changes.
Direct Debit Guarantee
This Guarantee is offered by all banks and building societies that accept instructions to pay Direct Debits.
- If there are any changes to the amount, date or frequency of your Direct Debit, Birmingham Midshires will notify you in advance of your account being debited or as otherwise agreed. If you request Birmingham Midshires to collect a payment, confirmation of the amount and date will be given to you at the time of the request.
- If an error is made in the payment of your Direct Debit, by Birmingham Midshires, a division of Bank of Scotland plc or your bank or building society, you are entitled to a full and immediate refund of the amount paid from your bank or building society.
- If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you must pay it back when Birmingham Midshires asks you to.
- You can cancel a Direct Debit at any time by simply contacting your bank or building society. Written confirmation may be required. Please also notify us.
Standing order or bank transfer
You'll need to contact your own bank or building society to authorise the payment and provide them with the following details:
- Sort code: 30 00 00
- Account number: 00332275
- Reference number: Your 14 digit mortgage account number followed by 00.
Payments are only sent on working days. The payment won't leave your account until the day you specified when you set up the standing order. If the standing order is due to leave your account on a weekend or bank holiday, the payment will not leave your account until the next available bank working day. You should allow up to 3 working days for a payment to reach us.
If your mortgage payment changes we'll write to you confirming the change. You'll be responsible for making the necessary changes to your standing order amount.
Over the phone
You can make a mortgage payment using your debit card for any amount between £5 and £60,000 by calling us on 0345 300 2627.
Please note we can only take debit card payments from customers named on the mortgage account. We don't accept credit cards or debit Mastercards (cards beginning with a 5).
Remember to have your mortgage account number to hand.
By Cheque
Please make payable to Birmingham Midshires followed by your 14 digit account number. Include your name and the property address on the back and post it to Birmingham Midshires, PO Box 833 Leeds LS1 9PU.
How do I change my payment date?
You can contact us on 0345 300 2627 and ask us to change your payment date as long as you choose a date which is no later than the 28th. If you make your monthly payment on the 1st, we'll charge the least amount of interest for the month. Your monthly payment amount may rise or fall if you change the day.
We will update your mortgage details and change the date we collect your future direct debits. This may not be in the month of your request. If you change your payment date from the end of one month to the beginning of the next month, you may be required to make two payments within a relatively short timescale.
What will happen to my payment when my current mortgage deal ends?
Your Mortgage Illustration and offer letter will tell you which rate(s) applies to you when your current deal ends. Your new monthly payment will be calculated based on your new rate.
Do my monthly payments reduce what I owe?
Your total monthly payment is the amount you need to pay to ensure you repay your interest charges for that month. For repayment mortgages, each month, your payments go towards reducing the amount you owe as well as paying off the interest. Remember, for any part of your loan which is interest only the balance doesn't reduce as you're only paying back the interest and it's a requirement that you have a repayment plan in place.
Our contact details for any queries are as follows:
Birmingham Midshires Mortgage Servicing
PO Box 833
LEEDS
LS1 9PU
- Phone:
- 0345 300 2627