Supporting customers in vulnerable circumstances

We’re here to help and support you. It’s important to let us know about your new and existing customers in vulnerable circumstances so that we can do the right thing, because everyone deserves fair treatment.

Vulnerability can take many forms but so does the support we can give, whether that’s alternative ways to receive information or finding effective ways to help customers fully understand any financial decisions.

So, we’ve put this together to make it easier for you to help your vulnerable customers. Once you have your clients’ permission, use this information as a guide.

Power of attorney: where your customer has an active power of attorney in place, please ensure that you inform us as soon as you have submitted the mortgage application.

Ways you can tell us

If your customer is happy for you to share details of their support needs, there are multiple ways you can pass this information on to us, so that we can support them.

On Mortgage Hub (MSO)

Available for new lending and additional borrowing applications submitted through the MSO portal.

You can key the details in the Applicant contact details section of the Full mortgage application.

Fill a form out

Complete this form to tell us about the support your client may need.

Customers in vulnerable circumstances form (PDF, 0.1MB) (opens in a new window)

Once completed, email to

mldcivc@leedsbuildingsociety.co.uk for MSO cases.
LBSsecurecomms@leedsbuildingsociety.co.uk for Porting cases.

Speak to us

Call our Mortgage Service Desk on 03458 480 061 to discuss how we can further support your client.

Please be aware that calls may be recorded.

Characteristics associated with the four drivers of vulnerability

Understanding the factors that can make someone vulnerable is key to providing the right support for your clients.

Further guidance can be found by visiting the FCA website.

Health

Poor health can impact on financial wellbeing. Health-related vulnerabilities can include:

Physical disability
Severe or long-term illness
Hearing or visual impairment
Mental health condition or disability
Addiction
Low mental capacity or cognitive disability

Life events

The life events that could put clients in a more vulnerable position can include:

Retirement
Bereavement
Loss of income
Relationship breakdown
Domestic abuse (including economic control)
Caring responsibilities
Other circumstances that affect people's experience of financial services. For example, leaving care, migration or seeking asylum, human trafficking or modern slavery, and convictions.

Resilience

How resilient a client is can depend on their ability to bounce back from things like:

Low or irregular income
Over-indebtedness
Low savings
Low emotional resilience

Capability

This driver of vulnerability is about a client’s ability to interpret financial information, such as:

Low knowledge or confidence in managing finances
Poor literacy or numeracy skills
Poor English language skills
Poor or non-existent digital skills
Learning difficulties
No or low access to help or support

Services available to your clients

Leeds Building Society provides a range of tools and services designed to make things easier for your clients, including:

Sign Solutions - supports British Sign Language (BSL) users by connection them with a qualified sign language interpreter
Accessible document formats - documents can be provided in alternative formats, including Braille and large print