1. The Financial Services Authority (FSA)

You should be aware that foreign mortgages do not fall within the regulatory responsibilities of the Financial Services Authority (FSA). This means that if you choose to take up a foreign mortgage you will not have the means of redress offered by regulated mortgage contracts in the event that you have a complaint.

2. Whose mortgages do we offer?

We offer mortgages from a limited number of lenders in a limited number of countries.

We constantly review the mortgage market in line with market conditions to enable appropriate advice to be given. However, in certain instances where a limited range or a single product only is recommended (e.g. in conjunction with) we will explain to you the reason for doing so.

3. Which service will we provide you with?

We offer full advice and recommendations service in all cases in order that we can give you an informed decision on the choice of your new mortgage. We will also provide you with information relevant to your mortgage needs, covering such items as an explanation of the main repayment methods and the implications of taking out a mortgage.

4. What will you have to pay us for this service?

A commitment fee of £149 is payable by you on giving us your authority to act on your behalf. If we are unable to obtain a mortgage for you based on the information you supplied then a full refund of the £149 commitment fee will be made.

A fee of £599 is payable by you on us receiving confirmation that a mortgage offer is available fron the lender. This fee is non-refundable even if the mortgage does not proceed to completion. (For some countries this fee is payable on application, i.e. Bulgaria, Cape Verde etc.). Viva Costa International Mortgages Ltd cannot be held responsible if a property is down valued, fees are still payable if a subsequent offer of a mortgage is received from the lender

A completion fee of between 0.5% & 1% is payable at completion for some mortgages please see the fees payable table below.

In addition to our fees above you will incur fees from the lender, these will include valuation and arrangement fees, other fees may also be payable to the lender. Please ensure you also allow for legal fees & taxes.

Viva Costa International Mortgages Ltd may receive fees from lenders with whom we place mortgages. From these fees we will pay your Financial Adviser a fee.

5. Tax

We do not provide advice on tax matters relating to foreign property purchase, or taxation queries for foreign countries. We would recommend that you source specialist tax advice from an independent tax advisor who specialises in the country you are purchasing in.

6. Currency Exchange

The currency exchange service is on a referral only basis. No advice is given as to the appropriate time to purchase a particular currency. Information on rates available at the time will be supplied for you to choose when you make your foreign currency purchase. Currency Exchange is regulated by Customs & Excise. All transactions will be handled by one of the currency exchange companies we refer you to.

7. What to do if you have a complaint?

Our aim is to provide you with a first class professional and confidential service – should a complaint arise, in the first instance you should contact the Compliance Officer:

In writing to: Viva Costa International Mortgages Ltd, 6 Harraton Terrace, Durham Road, Birtley, County Durham, DH3 2QG

By phone: 08450 664444

If you can not settle your complaint with us, you may be entitled to refer it to the Financial Ombudsman Service

We will treat all your personal information as private and confidential (even when you are no longer a customer) except where we are permitted by law or where the disclosure is made at your request or with your consent in relation to arranging a mortgage.

8. Data Protection

In order to provide you with advice our advisers will need to collect information about you, which they will hold as Data Controllers under the Data Protection Act 1998. Our advisers will use these details to understand your needs and preferences so that they can tailor their advice to your particular circumstances. This will either be in response to your specific request for advice or, generally, to keep you informed about financial services and products, which they feel may be of interest to you. For this purpose, they may want to contact you by letter, phone, e-mail, fax or in person, and you will be asked for your consent for them to do this. You will also be asked for your consent to allow your introducing financial adviser access to case progress information.

Your details may have to be passed to another of our advisers so that you can continue to receive advice, for example if your usual adviser is ill or stops being your financial adviser.

Any personal details given to us may need to be retained for record purposes, even if you do not apply for any mortgage or plans.

You have the right to see the personal data (as defined by the Act) that is held about you. You can ask us not to contact you about our other products and services and you can ask us to correct your details if they are wrong. If you would like to exercise any of your rights under the Act you should contact our Data Protection Officer at Viva Costa International Mortgages Ltd, 6 Harraton Terrace, Durham Road, Birtley, County Durham, DH3 2QG.

Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Be sure you can afford the repayments before entering into any credit agreement. Any quotation supplied is not an offer of a mortgage.

The sterling equivalent of your liability under a foreign currency mortgage may be increased by exchange rate movements.