Sir, – I wish to highlight an aspect of the mortgage issue that seems to be completely overlooked in the media and by our Government, which is the difficulty of getting mortgage approval for freelancers and people on short-term contracts.
There is a disproportionate emphasis on mortgage rates and deposits, while myself, my husband and many of our peers are experiencing a totally different kind of frustration – we have saved for years for our deposits, we have proved we can afford repayments by paying ever-increasing rents for over a decade, but we cannot get a mortgage because we don’t have permanent contracts.
The kind of job security that banks are looking for (with or without a contract) is a thing of the past.
The Government and the banks should recognise the need for new ways to assess mortgage eligibility. – Yours, etc,
MICHELLE CONNOLLY,
Dublin 7.