Beverley Building Society

Beverley Building Society is a small UK building society that lends money for homes and takes savings¹. It is best known for lending on self-build and custom build projects, where you construct your own home rather than buying one that already exists². On the mortgage side it lends up to 75% of the value of the land and up to 80% at each stage of the build³. On the savings side it takes deposits, including accounts for children such as a Junior Cash ISA, for which application packs are issued by post after a telephone or email request⁴.

Its website, www.beverleybs.co.uk, carries today's rates, fees and product terms, which change over time¹. What a borrower or saver can usefully know in advance is how the products are structured, what the society's own commitments are when lending goes wrong, and what protection sits behind deposits, and those are set out in the rest of this page. Almost all of the middle and difficult-end material comes from the society's own payment difficulties commitments, which are unusually specific for a lender of its size².

What Beverley Building Society offers

Beverley Building Society's business splits into two halves: mortgages and savings. On the mortgage side it is one of the building societies listed by the Building Societies Association as providing finance for self and custom build projects⁶, and this is where it has made its name. A self-build mortgage funds a home you are constructing yourself, on land you have bought, and the money is released in stages as the work progresses rather than as a single sum⁷. The society lends up to 75% of the land value and up to 80% at each build stage³.

On the savings side, the society takes deposits from customers¹. Its range includes a Junior Cash ISA, a tax-free savings account for under-18s; you can read how these work generally in our guide to ISAs. To open one with Beverley, you request an application pack by telephone on 01482 881510 or by email to customerservices@beverleybs.co.uk, and the society sends it out⁴. Savings accounts of all kinds are explained in our savings accounts guide, and mortgages of all kinds in our mortgages guide.

The society does not publish rates on third-party pages, and this page carries none: its own website, www.beverleybs.co.uk, is where today's figures live¹. What a borrower or saver can usefully know in advance is how the products are structured, what the society's own commitments are when lending goes wrong, and what protection sits behind deposits, and those are set out in the rest of this page.

Self-build and custom build mortgages: how the lending works

A self-build or custom build mortgage works differently from an ordinary home loan. With a standard mortgage, the lender releases the whole amount on the day you complete the purchase. With a self-build mortgage, the lender releases money to the borrower in stages, not as a single amount, as the build progresses⁷. This is because the security for the loan, the finished house, does not exist yet: the lender is advancing money against work that has actually been done.

Beverley Building Society lends up to 75% of the value of the land at the start, and up to 80% at each stage of the build³. In practice this means you need some money of your own from the outset: a quarter of the land price before you begin, and a fifth of each stage's cost as the work goes on. The staged structure protects both sides. The lender never advances more than the value of what stands on the site, and you are not paying interest on the whole loan before the house exists.

Once the build is complete, the loan becomes an ordinary mortgage on a finished home, and the normal rules of mortgages apply from there. If you are weighing up whether building your own home is realistic, the home buying guide covers the wider process, and free guidance on raising money to build your own home is available from official sources in Northern Ireland and equivalents elsewhere in the UK⁷.

Coming to the end of your mortgage deal

If your fixed or discounted period with the society is running out, the society's commitment is that you can arrange a new mortgage deal up to 6 months in advance of your current deal ending, with no affordability check if your payments are up to date². That last part matters: a borrower who has kept up payments does not have to go through income and outgoings assessment again simply to stay with the same lender on a new deal.

Starting early is sensible housekeeping rather than urgency, but the 6-month window is the society's own stated limit, so a deal ending in, say, March can be lined up from the previous September². If your payments are not up to date, the position changes: the no-check concession does not apply, and the society will want to understand your circumstances before offering anything new. The general guides to mortgages and credit scores explain how payment history affects the deals available to you.

Changing your mortgage: interest-only and longer terms

Circumstances change, and the society sets out two temporary changes it can make for borrowers who need breathing room, both excluding buy-to-let lending. First, it can allow you to switch to an interest-only mortgage for 6 months, if you want to, without a new affordability check. Second, it can allow you to extend your term to reduce your monthly payments, and to switch back to your original term within the first 6 months².

Both options trade cost now for cost later. On an interest-only mortgage the balance does not reduce, so the payments are lower but you are not chipping away at the debt, and the payments will be higher afterwards when the arrangement ends. Extending the term cuts the monthly amount but spreads the debt over more years, which means more interest paid over the life of the loan. These are the standard mechanics of any mortgage, and the society's versions follow them.

The society also states it can allow breathing space where appropriate², which in practice means a pause while you and it work out what you can afford. None of these changes is guaranteed: they depend on your circumstances, and the society decides case by case. What is guaranteed, in its own words, is that talking to it about your situation has no impact on your credit score².

If you are struggling with mortgage payments

The society's stated approach is to help borrowers keep their homes. Its headline commitment is blunt: "WE WANT TO HELP YOU AS MUCH AS WE CAN TO KEEP YOUR HOME. REPOSSESSION IS A LAST RESORT."² It backs that with a specific pledge, not repossessing your home within 12 months from your first missed payment², which is longer than the law requires and gives a borrower real time to recover.

Its practical undertakings include talking to you about your situation with no impact on your credit score, allowing breathing space where appropriate, and, if a solution cannot be agreed, sending a debt counsellor to see you to discuss your financial circumstances, though the cost of that visit may be charged to your mortgage account². It can also, with your authority, speak to a third party such as a relative if that helps², which matters if you are ill or find money conversations difficult yourself.

Independent advice is free and worth having alongside any conversation with the lender. Citizens Advice notes that lenders may be able to help if you are struggling to pay your mortgage, which could include reducing your monthly payments or taking a break from your payments for a few months⁸. StepChange, National Debtline and Shelter all publish guidance on mortgage arrears, and a payment break, while helpful, can affect your credit score⁹, so the terms of any arrangement should be understood before agreeing to it. Our debt guide lists where free help is available.

Charges when you fall behind on your mortgage

The society draws a clear line between charging for arrears themselves and charging for costs. Its commitment is: "We won't charge you for being in arrears."² What it may charge for are its reasonable administrative and legal costs, and it states it will tell you the amount you will have to pay². Separately, under its tariff of charges, it may charge an administrative fee, for example for unpaid direct debits you have not warned it about².

This distinction matters when you are adding up what a spell of difficulty costs. Falling behind does not itself trigger a penalty from this society, but the work it has to do on your account, letters, staff time, and any legal steps, can be passed on as costs, and interest continues to be charged on what you owe. The Bank of England's own guidance is that failing to pay debts, whether secured or unsecured, can affect your credit rating¹¹, so the consequences reach beyond the immediate charges.

If a debt counsellor visit is arranged and no solution is agreed, the cost of the visit may be charged to your mortgage account². Any charge should appear in writing: the society commits to telling you the amount you will have to pay², and if a charge appears that you do not recognise or think is unfair, that is a matter you can take to the society's complaints process and, if unresolved, to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Repossession is a last resort: what happens and what you still owe

The society treats repossession as the final step, not the first. Its commitments are: repossession is a last resort; it will not repossess your home within 12 months from your first missed payment; and before it repossesses, it will give you information about getting in touch with your local authority to see if they can find you somewhere else to live². Independent advice agrees on the principle: repossession is always a last resort¹², and lenders have to be fair and reasonable and follow a pre-action protocol before going to court¹⁰.

If repossession does happen, the society states it will sell the property for the best price it can reasonably get, and if there is any money left over, it will pay it to you². Lenders must sell a repossessed home for the best price that might reasonably be paid, taking market conditions into account¹³. The sale proceeds go first to the costs, then the mortgage: the money must pay off court costs, estate agent's and solicitor's bills, the mortgage and any second or third mortgages¹³.

The hard part is the shortfall. If the sale does not clear everything you owe, the society will contact you within six years of selling your property, five years in Scotland, to arrange for you to pay back what is left². An unpaid shortfall debt could affect whether you are able to get credit in future². Handing back the keys does not end the debt either: the society warns that if you do this, you will still owe any outstanding debt, and it advises discussing the option with it first². Independent guidance is equally clear that you cannot go back to live in your home once you give the keys to the lender¹⁴, and that after voluntary surrender the lender sells the property and you get back any money made from the sale¹⁵.

One warning deserves its own space. The society tells borrowers to be careful with companies offering to buy your home and lease it back to you, saying such actions may not be in your long term best interests². Where a sale can clear the debt, lenders should give you the chance to sell your home to pay it off, and you must show you are taking active steps to sell¹⁶. Mortgage payments, and any arrears you can manage, remain due until the property is sold¹⁷. If the sale will not cover the mortgage, you normally need the lender's permission to sell¹⁷, and you will still have to repay the full amount outstanding, with the lender able to take legal action for any unpaid balance even after the sale¹⁷.

Joint mortgages: each borrower is liable for the whole debt

If you bought your home with other borrowers, the society's position is that each of you is responsible for all the money borrowed, and this is true even if you normally only pay part of the mortgage². This is joint and several liability, and it is the standard rule for joint credit agreements: you agree to pay back the whole debt if the other person does not¹⁸. Both parties are named on the mortgage agreement and the property deeds, and are jointly responsible for making the payments¹⁹.

The practical consequence catches many people out. A couple who split up sometimes assume that a private arrangement, one pays this share, the other pays that, settles things with the lender. It does not. If one borrower stops contributing, the society can pursue the other for the full amount, and guidance on what happens to debts on divorce is explicit that both continue to be jointly and severally liable for the whole amount²⁰. Independent Age makes the same point: you are both responsible for the whole loan if you have a joint mortgage, so you have to discuss how to handle the repayments²¹.

This is also why the society's offer to speak to a third party with your authority can matter in a separation or illness², and why any change to who is liable, such as removing a name from the mortgage, needs the lender's agreement rather than just the borrowers'. The life events guide covers the wider money consequences of separation.

Scam payments: who can be reimbursed and how long it takes

If you are tricked into sending money from your Beverley account to a scammer, an APP (authorised push payment) scam in the industry's terms, there are now firm rules on reimbursement. Scam victims must be reimbursed within five UK business days, unless the bank or payment provider needs to gather more information²². The Payment Systems Regulator, which sets the rules, describes the outcome as consistent minimum standards, with most APP fraud victims being reimbursed within five business days²³. Its policy statement puts the obligation plainly: "Sending PSPs must reimburse consumers within five business days under the new reimbursement requirement."²⁴

There is a time limit on claiming. Sending payment service providers can deny APP scam claims submitted more than 13 months after the final payment in a given claim²⁴. So a person who has been scammed should report it promptly: contact the society, ask it to try to recall the payment, and report to Action Fraud. Our scams and fraud guide explains the steps in order.

Reimbursement is not unconditional. The rules allow a provider to withhold or reduce reimbursement in certain circumstances, such as where the customer ignored effective warnings given before the payment, so the outcome in any individual case depends on the facts²³. The consumer protection guide sets out your rights more broadly.

Contacting the society and making a complaint

The society's customer services team can be reached on 01482 881510 or by email at customerservices@beverleybs.co.uk, and these are the routes it gives for requesting application packs, including for the Junior Cash ISA⁴. Its website, www.beverleybs.co.uk, carries current contact details, opening hours and its tariff of charges¹. If you are worried about paying your mortgage, the society asks you to talk to it directly, and it can speak to a relative or other third party with your authority if that would help².

If something has gone wrong, complain to the society first, in writing or by phone, and give it a chance to put things right. Financial firms must handle complaints within set timescales and issue a final response. If you are not satisfied with that response, you can take the complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which is free. Citizens Advice publishes guidance on checking whether a financial service has followed the rules, which is useful preparation before complaining⁸. Complaints about how a firm has treated you when you were in arrears, including over charges, are exactly the kind of case the ombudsman looks at.

How savings with Beverley are protected

Money you hold with Beverley Building Society is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which protects savings up to the value of £120,000 per person, the limit that has applied since 1 December 2025⁵. Accepting deposits is one of the society's two permissions¹, which is what brings deposits inside the scheme. The £120,000 limit applies per person, per licensed firm, so a household with two savers has separate cover each; the consumer protection guide explains how the scheme works and where its limits sit.

The limit is the standard one across UK banks and building societies, and it is worth knowing that it applies to the total across all accounts you hold with the same society, not per account. If the society ever failed, the FSCS would step in to compensate depositors. The Building Societies Association, which covers all UK building societies²⁵, publishes consumer factsheets on savings matters, including how to trace lost accounts, which can be useful with smaller societies where accounts are sometimes forgotten.