Rooftop MortgagesPublic Complaints & Decisions Archive

Topic hub

Mortgage ownership, assignment and authority

Who owns a mortgage, who is registered against the title, who services the account and who may take enforcement steps are four separate questions. They are frequently confused. This page sets out the concepts and links to authoritative sources.

Start here if this is about your own mortgage

If you are trying to work out who can safely receive your money and close the mortgage, start with the plain-English guide.

Who can I safely pay?

Registered charge holder

The party named at HM Land Registry as the proprietor of the registered charge over the property. The register is public and can be obtained for a small fee.

Owner of the mortgage debt

The party beneficially entitled to the debt. Following a portfolio sale this may differ from the entity that remains the registered charge holder or the entity that services the account.

Mortgage servicer

A firm that administers the account day to day — collecting payments, handling arrears and correspondence — under a contract with the lender or debt owner. A servicer acts for the lender; it is not necessarily the lender.

Administrator

A term often used interchangeably with servicer in mortgage documentation. What matters is the contractual authority the entity actually holds.

Legal assignment

A transfer of the benefit of a debt meeting the requirements of section 136 of the Law of Property Act 1925, including written notice to the borrower. Where those requirements are not met the transfer may still take effect in equity.

Beneficial ownership

Entitlement to the economic benefit of the mortgage, which may sit with a securitisation vehicle or fund while legal title remains registered elsewhere.

Authority to receive payments and good discharge

Whether paying a particular entity discharges the borrower's obligation. Where a servicer collects with the lender's authority, payment to the servicer will ordinarily give good discharge.

Authority to instruct solicitors

Whether the entity instructing solicitors holds authority to do so, and whether the lender is answerable for what those solicitors do when acting as its agent.

Authority to appoint receivers

Whether the appointing party holds the power of appointment under the mortgage deed and the statutory framework, and whether the appointment complied with those requirements.

Authoritative sources

Portfolio transfers

Transfers affecting Rooftop-held or Rooftop-serviced accounts, where a public source records the transfer.

Official findingCompany record – Companies HouseFirst verified by this archive: 2 September 2026

Companies House – Rooftop Mortgages Limited (04621865) and its person with significant control

Rooftop Mortgages Limited is registered at Companies House under company number 04621865. It was incorporated on 19 December 2002, its registered office is in Ipswich and its status is active. The register of persons with significant control records BCM Asset Services (Holdings) Limited (company number 05505964) as an active person with significant control, notified on 29 July 2016, with ownership of 75% or more of shares, 75% or more of voting rights, and the right to appoint or remove directors. An earlier entry for Rooftop Holdings Limited is shown as ceased.

Company structureMortgage ownershipAuthorityBCM Global
Company documentOther published sourceFirst verified by this archive: 2 September 2026

Secure Trust Bank – published notice that existing mortgages have transferred to Rooftop Mortgages Limited

Secure Trust Bank plc publishes a mortgages page stating that it no longer offers mortgage products to new customers and that existing customers' mortgages have been transferred to Rooftop Mortgages Limited, giving a contact telephone number and opening hours for Rooftop.

Mortgage transferMortgage servicingMortgage ownershipCommunication
Complaint not upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman23 February 2026

DRN-6064258 – Buy-to-let term expiry, formal demand and rejected repayment proposals; complaint not upheld

An unregulated interest-only buy-to-let mortgage of a little over £111,000 taken out in early 2007 with another lender and transferred to Rooftop Mortgages Limited in 2016. The term expired in 2022 and the borrower could not repay. Rooftop agreed a number of informal term extensions. In March 2025 it issued a formal demand. The borrower proposed selling the mortgaged property at a likely price of £75,000, paying a £5,000 lump sum from savings and repaying part of the residue from the sale of a second property expected sometime in 2026. Rooftop rejected those proposals. The complaint was not upheld.

DRN-6064258Term expiryProperty saleForbearanceSettlement offersMortgage transferLending decision
Ombudsman decision about another lenderOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman17 November 2025

DRN-5886207 – General comparator: interest margin, legal fees and interest on fees removed (Pepper / Engage Credit)

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.

DRN-5886207Legal feesInterest on feesChargesMortgage prisonersMortgage transfer
Complaint upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman8 March 2023

DRN-3955250 – Treatment of a £100 overpayment; complaint upheld and interest to be adjusted

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.

DRN-3955250ChargesMortgage transferCommunicationRedemption
Official findingOfficial source – court judgment12 January 2023

Intensity Holdings S.A. v Stratton Mortgage Funding 2019-1 Plc & Ors [2023] EWHC 104 (Ch) – Rooftop named as fifth defendant and as legal title holder

Proceedings in the High Court concerning two securitisations of mortgages and loans known as the Stratton Securitisation and the Clavis Securitisation, and an August 2022 transaction under which the securitised assets were transferred to a new issuing vehicle, Stratton Hawksmoor 2022-1 Plc. Rooftop Mortgages Limited was the fifth defendant. The claim was brought in the name of Intensity Holdings S.A., which did not appear and was not represented at the hearing. The defendants applied to strike the claim out.

[2023] EWHC 104 (Ch); claim no. BL-2022-001355SecuritisationMortgage ownershipAssignmentStandingAuthorityCompany structure
Complaint not upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman20 April 2019

DRN9682716 – Service charges paid after a forfeiture notice, field agent visits and disputed arrears; complaint not upheld

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.

DRN9682716Service chargesLeaseholdChargesField agentsArrearsPossession

Public discussions also refer to accounts moving between other entities, including references to Mortgages PLC and to JP Morgan. Those are borrower reports rather than verified transfer records, and are held on the borrower reports page until a company filing, regulatory notice or customer notification can be linked directly.

Records concerning authority, ownership and servicing

Official findingCompany record – Companies HouseFirst verified by this archive: 2 September 2026

Companies House – Rooftop Mortgages Limited (04621865) and its person with significant control

Rooftop Mortgages Limited is registered at Companies House under company number 04621865. It was incorporated on 19 December 2002, its registered office is in Ipswich and its status is active. The register of persons with significant control records BCM Asset Services (Holdings) Limited (company number 05505964) as an active person with significant control, notified on 29 July 2016, with ownership of 75% or more of shares, 75% or more of voting rights, and the right to appoint or remove directors. An earlier entry for Rooftop Holdings Limited is shown as ceased.

Company structureMortgage ownershipAuthorityBCM Global
Official findingCompany record – Companies HouseFirst verified by this archive: 2 September 2026

Companies House – BCM Asset Services (Holdings) Limited (05505964) and its control history

BCM Asset Services (Holdings) Limited is registered under company number 05505964, incorporated on 12 July 2005, registered in London and active. Its current person with significant control is BCM Global Holdings Limited (13929760), notified on 31 August 2023, with ownership of 75% or more of shares. Ceased entries record Link Group Administration Limited (notified 3 November 2017, ceased 16 May 2024) and Capita plc (notified 6 April 2016, ceased 3 November 2017), each with 75% or more control.

Company structureBCM GlobalMortgage servicing
Company documentOther published sourceFirst verified by this archive: 2 September 2026

Secure Trust Bank – published notice that existing mortgages have transferred to Rooftop Mortgages Limited

Secure Trust Bank plc publishes a mortgages page stating that it no longer offers mortgage products to new customers and that existing customers' mortgages have been transferred to Rooftop Mortgages Limited, giving a contact telephone number and opening hours for Rooftop.

Mortgage transferMortgage servicingMortgage ownershipCommunication
Complaint not upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman23 February 2026

DRN-6064258 – Buy-to-let term expiry, formal demand and rejected repayment proposals; complaint not upheld

An unregulated interest-only buy-to-let mortgage of a little over £111,000 taken out in early 2007 with another lender and transferred to Rooftop Mortgages Limited in 2016. The term expired in 2022 and the borrower could not repay. Rooftop agreed a number of informal term extensions. In March 2025 it issued a formal demand. The borrower proposed selling the mortgaged property at a likely price of £75,000, paying a £5,000 lump sum from savings and repaying part of the residue from the sale of a second property expected sometime in 2026. Rooftop rejected those proposals. The complaint was not upheld.

DRN-6064258Term expiryProperty saleForbearanceSettlement offersMortgage transferLending decision
Complaint not upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman5 January 2026

DRN-5818655 – Information about property disposals by LPA receivers; complaint not upheld

Three buy-to-let mortgages where, due to arrears, Rooftop appointed Law of Property Act receivers to manage the properties. The receivers decided the properties were not viable as lettings and sold them, the third sale completing in August 2025. The complaint, raised in March 2025, concerned information about the disposals and the receivers' conduct, and was not upheld.

DRN-5818655LPA receiversReceivershipProperty saleInformation requestsMortgage servicing
Ombudsman decision about another lenderOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman17 November 2025

DRN-5886207 – General comparator: interest margin, legal fees and interest on fees removed (Pepper / Engage Credit)

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.

DRN-5886207Legal feesInterest on feesChargesMortgage prisonersMortgage transfer
Company documentCompany document – BCM3 October 2024

BCM Global – legal entities page listing Rooftop Mortgages Limited

BCM Global publishes a legal page listing the legal entities that trade under the BCMGlobal name. Rooftop Mortgages Limited appears in that list, alongside BCMGlobal London Limited, BCMGlobal Netherlands BV, BCMGlobal (UK) Limited, BCMGlobal Mortgage Services Limited and BCMGlobal ASI Limited. The visible page text says it was updated in August 2023; the page metadata records a modification date of 3 October 2024.

Company structureMortgage servicingBCM GlobalAuthority
Complaint upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman8 March 2023

DRN-3955250 – Treatment of a £100 overpayment; complaint upheld and interest to be adjusted

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.

DRN-3955250ChargesMortgage transferCommunicationRedemption
Official findingOfficial source – court judgment12 January 2023

Intensity Holdings S.A. v Stratton Mortgage Funding 2019-1 Plc & Ors [2023] EWHC 104 (Ch) – Rooftop named as fifth defendant and as legal title holder

Proceedings in the High Court concerning two securitisations of mortgages and loans known as the Stratton Securitisation and the Clavis Securitisation, and an August 2022 transaction under which the securitised assets were transferred to a new issuing vehicle, Stratton Hawksmoor 2022-1 Plc. Rooftop Mortgages Limited was the fifth defendant. The claim was brought in the name of Intensity Holdings S.A., which did not appear and was not represented at the hearing. The defendants applied to strike the claim out.

[2023] EWHC 104 (Ch); claim no. BL-2022-001355SecuritisationMortgage ownershipAssignmentStandingAuthorityCompany structure
Complaint not upheldOfficial source – Financial Ombudsman20 April 2019

DRN9682716 – Service charges paid after a forfeiture notice, field agent visits and disputed arrears; complaint not upheld

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.

DRN9682716Service chargesLeaseholdChargesField agentsArrearsPossession

If this is your situation

The practical steps for this topic, taken from the "Who can I safely pay, and who can actually close my mortgage?" playbook.

What to collect

  • Official copy of the register of title, showing the charge and its proprietor.
  • Official copy of the filed charge, where the register notes a copy is filed.
  • Any notice of assignment or transfer sent to you, and the date you received it. Under section 136 of the Law of Property Act 1925 written notice to the borrower is part of a legal assignment.
  • The servicer's own letters, which usually state the capacity in which it writes — keep every version, because the wording changes over time.
  • Published securitisation or investor material naming the legal title holder, where it exists.
  • The redemption statement, and the covering letter that came with it.

What to ask for

  • Confirmation of the current registered proprietor of the charge.
  • Confirmation of which entity asserts the present legal entitlement to enforce and receive repayment, and of any beneficial owner where that is relevant to who can receive repayment or give discharge.
  • Confirmation of which entity is entitled to receive redemption monies and to give a good and valid discharge.
  • Confirmation of which entity can procure removal of the charge from the title, and how long that takes after redemption.
  • The capacity in which the servicer acts, the party it acts for, the date it began acting, and whether notice of that arrangement was sent to you.
  • Whether the servicer's authority extends to decisions on forbearance, charges and enforcement, or only to administering the account.

Relevant published decisions

Read the full playbook: Who can I safely pay, and who can actually close my mortgage?