Can my building society force me to pay off my mortgage when I turn 75? Consumer rights lawyer DEAN DUNHAM replies

My current mortgage with Nationwide, with whom I have been for more than 20 years, expires on December 31.

However, when I rang to discuss my re-mortgage options from January 1, 2024, I was told that because I turn 75 on June 24, it is unable to offer me any new deals, as Nationwide does not lend to customers beyond their 75th birthday. 

This means I will have to pay off all outstanding capital, leaving me with much-reduced savings.

Are you aware of this age discrimination that is being applied, especially in light of many banks and building societies allowing buy-to-let mortgages up to the age of 80?

Keith Seed, Cirencester.

Age limit: Nationwide is refusing to offer a long-time customer a new mortgage deal claiming it does not lend to customers beyond their 75th birthday

Dean Dunham replies: The Equality Act 2010 banned age discrimination in relation to most goods and services. 

However, the provision of financial services — such as bank accounts, loans, insurance, credit cards, warranties, mortgages and investments — falls within an exception to the usual rule.

Financial businesses are therefore permitted to use age as a factor in designing, pricing and offering their products. 

But where businesses carry out a risk assessment for the purposes of providing a financial service (which may not be the case with your issue), the exception will only apply if the risk assessment, in so far as it involves a consideration of the person’s age, is done by reference to information which is both relevant to the assessment of risk and from a source on which it is reasonable to rely.

Financial businesses are not allowed to behave towards consumers in a way that could be considered harassment due to age, and must not victimise consumers who make a complaint relating to age discrimination.

It sounds like you have no complaint here, but you could make a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (Fos). While it is unlikely to find in your favour, a report to the Fos does sometimes convince the mortgage or loan provider to make an exception.

Octopus wants two standing charges for electricity

Our heating is charged at off-peak prices for eight hours at night and two hours in the afternoon, thus giving us an Economy 10 tariff, which our original supplier, SSE, recommended when my husband and I retired and were at home more during the day. 

When we moved our supply to Octopus, it informed us that we had two meters so would have to pay two standing charges for electricity. 

We queried this but were told that this is what we should sign up for, even though we have one meter with three readings and SSE never charged us two lots of standing charges. 

Paying two sets of standing charges is now too expensive, what can we do?

Jeanne Beaton, via email.

Dean Dunham replies: Firstly, there is no need to have two meters as one ‘multi-rate meter’ can deal with the Economy 10 tariff. 

In these circumstances, suppliers should not insist consumers have two meters when it is not necessary. 

My view is such conduct would amount to a breach of supply licence conditions (imposed by the regulator Ofgem). 

Contact the supplier and demand it refunds you for the additional standing charges. You are within your rights to insist it stops billing you two standing charges and that it confirms you have a multi-rate meter.

If your supplier refuses to help, ask for a deadlock letter (setting out its final position in relation to your complaint). Then you can lodge a complaint with the Energy Ombudsman (energyombudsman.org/raise-dispute).

• Write to Dean Dunham, Money Mail, Scottish Daily Mail, 20 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6DB or email [email protected]. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given. 

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk