Topic hub
Charges are the most common subject in published mortgage complaints. This hub aggregates every record in the archive concerning arrears fees, legal fees, field agent fees, receiver fees, additional interest and interest applied to fees.
Records concerning charges
21
FOS decisions concerning fees
10
Decisions where redress was ordered
4
A research question page examines the published material on one recurring point: can Rooftop charge interest on fees?
Each row is drawn from a single published source. The outcome column records what the source says, not what this archive concludes.
| Charge type | Amount | Outcome | Complaint upheld | Interest recalculated | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copy of deeds or documents fee | £25.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Copy of mortgage statement fee | £12.50 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Field agent property check fee | £150.00 maximum | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Questionnaire request fee | £25.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Subsequent charge consent fee | £55.00 | Published tariff charge. The tariff states: “This fee is charged whether we give our consent or not”. | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Lease variation fee | £100.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Valuation fee | Variable | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Arrears management fee | £45.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Unpaid direct debit fee | £25.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Field agent visit fee | £150.00 maximum | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Solicitors instruction fee | £65.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Repossession fee | £360.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Unpaid ground rent and service charges fee | £95.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Receivers instruction fee (buy-to-let customers only) | £80.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Redemption fee | £90.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 3 February 2025 |
| Monthly arrears management charges (seven, within the period considered) | — | Already reversed by the business before the decision; no further direction made | Not upheld | Not stated | DRN-4702049 |
| Additional interest on arrears and fees balances | — | Found to be interest charged at the reversionary rate under the mortgage terms, held as a separate non-interest-bearing balance | Not upheld | Not stated | DRN-4702049 |
| Monthly arrears management fees (31 × £50, July 2012 – May 2018) | £1,550 | Ordered refunded to the account | Upheld | Yes | DRN5725301 |
| Unpaid direct debit fees (six fees, August 2014 – December 2015) | £135 | Ordered refunded to the account | Upheld | Yes | DRN5725301 |
| Copy of deeds or documents fee | £25.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Copy of mortgage statement fee | £10.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Field agent property check fee | £120.00 maximum | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Reference or questionnaire request fee | £20.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Subsequent charge consent fee | £60.00 | Published tariff charge. The tariff states: “This fee is charged whether we give our consent or not”. | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Consent to letting fee | £60.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Change to mortgage term fee | £90.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Lease variation fee | £50.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Valuation fee | Variable | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Arrears management fee | £50.00 | Published tariff charge. The tariff states: “No fee will be charged where an agreed arrangement is in place and being paid”. | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Unpaid cheque fee | £20.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Unpaid direct debit fee | £20.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Field agent visit fee | £120.00 maximum | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Field agent visit cancellation fee | £54.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Solicitors instruction fee | £80.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Repossession fee | £300.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Unpaid ground rent and service charges fee | £65.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Redemption fee | £100.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Deeds dispatch fee | £25.00 | Published tariff charge | Not applicable | Not stated | Rooftop Mortgages – Tariff of Mortgage Charges, effective 1 May 2019 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (Apr 2009) | £37.50 | Ordered reversed | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (May 2009) | £37.50 | Ordered reversed | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (Jun 2009) | £25.00 | Ordered reversed | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (Jul 2009) | £50.00 | Ordered reversed | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (Oct 2009) | £50.00 | Ordered reversed | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (Jul 2010) | £50.00 | Ordered reversed; contractual payment had been made the previous day | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
| Monthly arrears management fee (Jan 2012) | £50.00 | Ordered reversed | Upheld | Not stated | DRN8820419 |
Rooftop Mortgages Limited publishes a Treating Customers Fairly statement on its website. It sets out commitments about how the business says it will deal with customers, including a statement about the basis on which fees are charged.
A complaint against Pepper (UK) Limited trading as Engage Credit about a mortgage taken out with Kensington Mortgage Company Limited in 2005 and transferred to Engage in 2022. The complaint concerned the interest rate, the balance and fees and charges added to the loan. It was upheld.
Two joint buy-to-let mortgages in arrears. Rooftop's records showed final demand letters issued in August 2023 stating that LPA receivers would be appointed if the accounts were not brought up to date. Receivers were appointed. The complaint concerned notification of the appointment and the information provided about the accounts afterwards, and was not upheld.
A complaint against Barclays Bank UK PLC about an interest-only mortgage and a linked mortgage current account whose term ended in 2017. The borrowers were unhappy that the bank's solicitors sent them a notice to quit and that legal fees were added to the mortgage balance after they believed the mortgage had been repaid. The complaint was not upheld.
A buy-to-let mortgage where the borrowers began having difficulty paying in mid-2023 following interest rate rises. Rooftop appointed Law of Property Act receivers to manage the property. The complaint about that appointment and about Rooftop's conduct was not upheld.
Rooftop Mortgages Limited publishes a tariff of mortgage charges on its website. The version archived here states that it is effective from 3 February 2025 and sets out the fees the business says it may apply during the life of a mortgage, including fees connected with arrears, field agent activity, instructing solicitors, instructing receivers on buy-to-let accounts, repossession and redemption.
An interest-only mortgage taken out with Rooftop in 2006, fixed for two years and then reverting to LIBOR plus 4.1%. Payments from the borrowers and the Department for Work and Pensions cleared the arrears and built an overpayment balance, which was eroded from 2022 as interest rates rose and payments reduced. The complaint concerned the erosion of that balance, the interest rate increases and the charges applied, and was not upheld.
An interest-only mortgage taken out in May 2001 transferred to Rooftop in 2019; the term ended in May 2021. In July 2022 it emerged that the title deeds could not be located and had to be reconstituted, which was completed in August 2023. During that period the interest rate was set at 0% and no payments were required. The complaint concerned the lost deeds, a legal fee, resumed payments and a refused settlement offer, and was not upheld.
A mortgage taken out in 2006 on a leasehold property. The borrower had been in a long-running dispute with a property management company about service charges. This service had already decided an earlier complaint about payments made up to August 2020. The Ombudsman dismissed the part of the new complaint covering that earlier period and decided the merits of one further payment. In January 2021 Rooftop received a county court judgment dated 25 November 2020 recording that the borrower owed the management company money. Rooftop wrote to her, told her she was in breach of her mortgage terms, and said that if it did not receive confirmation of an arrangement within ten days it might make the payment to protect its security. It made the payment on 16 February 2021 and added it to the mortgage account.
Rooftop Mortgages Limited publishes a notice about the Financial Conduct Authority's Consumer Duty. The published document is marked version 1.0 dated 21 August 2023 and records that the Duty applies to closed products from 31 July 2024. It states that Rooftop is no longer an active lender and that all of its mortgages are closed products.
An interest-only mortgage taken out in 2007 with another lender transferred to Rooftop Mortgages in April 2019. The borrower made a £100 overpayment which was not applied to the capital balance, because Rooftop required overpayments of at least £1,000 to be applied to capital. The Ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding the mortgage offer permitted smaller overpayments and that Rooftop had not validly varied the contract terms.
A complaint that Rooftop made payments to a managing agent claiming service charges on a leasehold property and added the cost to the mortgage balance. Rooftop had received copies of county court judgments recording that the borrower owed the managing agent money, and a copy of a section 146 notice said to have been served on her. Rooftop wrote to the borrower each time it received a request for payment. The complaint was not upheld.
A complaint brought through a claims management company about fees and charges added to a mortgage taken out in August 2006. Arrears fees, the cost of possession proceedings and unpaid direct debit fees had been added to the account. The Ombudsman upheld the complaint and required Rooftop to refund 31 monthly arrears management fees of £50 and six unpaid direct debit fees, totalling £1,685, and to rework the account to remove interest added to those fees.
A thread started in October 2019 after borrowers received letters about the sale of their mortgage from Mortgages PLC to Rooftop.
The earlier version of Rooftop's tariff of mortgage charges, printed as effective from 1 May 2019 and still hosted on the company's own website. It sets out the fees the business said it might apply during the life of a mortgage, including arrears, field agent, solicitor instruction, repossession, ground rent and service charge, and redemption fees. It contains no receiver instruction fee.
A leasehold mortgage originally taken out with another lender and later transferred to Rooftop. Rooftop paid service charges claimed by a management company after receiving a county court judgment and, later, a notice of proposed forfeiture, and charged a fee for making those payments. It also asked the borrower to pay arrears said to have been capitalised by the previous lender and sent field agents to visit. The management company later accepted that its notice was incorrect in parts and refunded the money paid by Rooftop, which put the account back into the position it would have been in. The complaint was not upheld.
A complaint against Barclays about legal fees of £6,943 charged to a shared ownership mortgage account after possession proceedings were stopped. The borrower's relatives said Barclays had refused to give a breakdown of the fees. The Ombudsman obtained and reviewed the confidential breakdown, the solicitors' charging scheme and the invoices, was satisfied that reasonable legal fees had been charged, and did not uphold the complaint.
A complaint about the level of arrears and legal fees added to a mortgage account administered by Rooftop Mortgages Limited. Rooftop had already removed £230 of fees. The adjudicator recommended a further £250 be removed. The Ombudsman identified one additional monthly arrears management fee of £50, applied in July 2010, and ordered a total of £300 of charges to be reversed.
A thread posted on 24 July 2012 in which a contributor describes the repossession and sale of their home and the costs applied to the account.
A thread posted on 15 June 2012 concerning charges said to have been applied to a mortgage account from August 2009 onwards.
An open discussion thread started in November 2008 in which contributors describe their experience of holding a Rooftop mortgage and of trying to move to another lender.
The practical steps for this topic, taken from the "Auditing your account: what is principal, what is interest, what is a fee" playbook.
Read the full playbook: Auditing your account: what is principal, what is interest, what is a fee