Upheld: failure to facilitate mortgage redemption; poor communication; failure to provide clear guidance on documentation requirements complaint against Intrum Mortgages UK Finance Limited trading as Intrum Mortgages
Financial Ombudsman decision DRN-6285250 of 2026-04-14T00:00:00+00:00. failure to facilitate mortgage redemption; poor communication; failure to provide clear guidance on documentation requirements complaint against Intrum Mortgages UK Finance Limited trading as Intrum Mortgages. Outcome: Upheld.
Decision detail
| Reference | DRN-6285250 |
|---|---|
| Decision date | 2026-04-14T00:00:00+00:00 |
| Firm | Intrum Mortgages UK Finance Limited trading as Intrum Mortgages |
| Product | mortgage |
| Claim type | failure to facilitate mortgage redemption; poor communication; failure to provide clear guidance on documentation requirements |
| Outcome | Upheld |
| Remedy | Intrum must: (1) Pay Mr S £375 within 28 days (£300 additional, as £75 already paid), with 8% simple interest if delayed; (2) Send clear written guidance on required source of funds documentation with specific email address and acknowledgment expectations; (3) Respond promptly if information is incomplete; (4) Confirm satisfaction with documentation and provide redemption figure as at 31 January 2025 within 14 days of receiving complete information; (5) If Mr S redeems within further 14 days: backdate redemption to 31 January 2025, refund payments made since that date, and pay 8% simple interest on refunded amounts from payment date. |
Summary
Mr S complained that Intrum Mortgages prevented him from redeeming his mortgage by failing to provide clear guidance on required documentation. In December 2024, Mr S sent a redacted bank statement via email to support his redemption request, but Intrum claimed it could not locate the emails and did not provide substantive guidance until March 2025. The ombudsman found that Mr S most likely sent the emails and that Intrum had a duty to communicate clearly and fairly to enable Mr S to meet his financial objectives. The ombudsman upheld the complaint, finding Intrum's service was poor throughout, and ordered it to pay £375 compensation and provide clear written guidance with specific timescales for Mr S to complete the redemption process.
The Ombudsman's reasoning
The ombudsman found that Mr S most likely sent the emails to Intrum based on his consistent evidence and correct addressing, while Intrum provided no evidence of searching for the emails or system problems. More importantly, even if the emails were not received, Intrum had a duty under FCA rules to communicate clearly and fairly to enable Mr S to meet his financial objectives. Intrum failed to provide sufficiently detailed guidance on what documentation was needed and what process to follow. The ombudsman noted that if Intrum had acted reasonably, Mr S would likely have redeemed his mortgage in January 2025. The ombudsman also criticized Intrum's poor service throughout, including late responses to FOS deadlines.
How this compares
| Group | Decisions | Uphold rate |
|---|---|---|
| Intrum Mortgages UK Finance Limited trading as Intrum Mortgages, all decisions | 2 | 50% |
Source
Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website