Your new online system: Frequently Asked Questions

I already have an Online Account Number (OAN) as I write different business with Aviva already (Protection business, for example). Can I use this OAN for Equity Release? 

Yes, you can use your existing OAN to log in to our Adviser site. However, you will need to be given access to the new Equity Release online system. Please email your OAN and request access to ACINFO@aviva.com 

Quotes

Why can't I upload documents through the illustration stages?

• This functionality is not currently available. So for the time being if you have for example a quote that has been referred or a quote that has been declined and you would like to provide documentary evidence to support a challenge then you will need to email us at equityreleasefapresales@aviva.com. Please add the ER reference number and/or the client name in the subject line. 

How do I know if my clients property, which is a flat is acceptable? 

• We have a flat enquiry form. Complete this and email it to equityreleasefapresales@aviva.com. We will assess the property from the information you have given us and will confirm back to you by email.

What happens if the quote is declined

• If an illustration is referred and we subsequently decline the case we will set the status to declined and we will contact yuou by email to confirm our decision and reason why. 

When do I use the button 'Enter address manually'? 

• You should only enter the address manually if the customer's address is not coming up in the dropdown list once the postcode has been entered. 
• If you enter the address manually you will only get an indicative interest rate and the case will be referred. You will see this message: 'By choosing to enter the address manually, you may receive a less accurate price'. 
• We will look at the case and will either accept or decline. We will contact you by email to confirm our decision. 

I have a property which is a coachhouse - which property type do I select?

• A coachhouse is a flat. They usually have a tenure of freehold. 
• We can lend provided any garages beneath the property (that are not the customer’s own garage) are owned on a long leasehold basis from the customer’s title. If the garages beneath the coachhouse flat are freehold, we can only lend if the coachhouse is leasehold. This is very rare.
• However, you can't proceed with a freehold flat in England & Wales, as we don't lend on freehold flats except for coachhouses, so will need to be input as a House. The valuation report will tell us its a coachhouse.

How do I amend a quote/ there are 2 amend quote buttons which do I choose?

• If you have done your quote in your preferred research portal you can amend through that portal OR if you generated the KFI you can retrieve the saved quote by logging in to the Aviva Adviser website, scroll down to saved quotes, click on Equity Release then search. 
• All your quotes that have had a KFI generated will be shown. Click on the one you want to amend. If the change is to the clients personal details click the first Amend Quote button, if the change is to the loan details click the 2nd Amend quote button

Who do I contact for further support during the quote process?

• Pre Sales Support team by sending the request by email to equityreleasefapresales@aviva.com. Please confirm the ER quote reference number and client name in the email. 

My client has a medical condition that is not covered by the list of health conditions. What should I do?

• You should contact the Pre Sales Support team by sending the request by email to equityreleasefapresales@aviva.com. Please confirm the ER quote reference number, client name, medical condition, diagnosis date and medication in the email. They will refer this internally and inform you of the outcome.

The £5 application fee no longer shows on the KFI - is this correct? 

• Yes - we have removed the application fee as part of the digital proposition

If a name is spelled incorrectly on a KFI, do I need to submit a new one, or can I amend the original one?

• Yes, you can amend the original illustration using the Amend quote button. This will duplicate the original quote details and will create a new ER reference number.

The KFI says it is valid for 21 days from when it was produced. So when is the last date I can apply with this KFI? 

• The KFI expiry date shown on the Illustration details screen is the actual date the rate guarantee expires and so this is the first day on which you cannot continue to full mortgage application 

Why can't I see whether the interest rate quoted is enhanced?

• Within the new online quote and apply system we will continue to provide your client with the best interest rate possible tailored to each individual’s circumstances, based on the property and client information provided, and the loan amounts requested
• You will no longer see a standard or enhanced interest rate as you did in the flextool when you create an initial borrowing quote. Our sophisticated pricing takes into account many different variables, including health and lifestyle conditions. The interest rate and maximum loan amounts shown will simply be the best interest rate available.
• Rest assured, we will continue to take into account medical conditions or lifestyle factors which affect your clients health and meet our criteria. So it is still important to capture this information in order to get the best rate for your client. 

I can't find the 'How much I can borrow doccument'?

• Now we have launched our online digital platform we will no longer provide or publish LTVs. The pricing engine outputs maximum lending limits as monetary amounts, rather than as an LTV%. You can find the maximum lending amount using our online quote, either through your preferred research portal or directly through our Adviser website

How do I get a quote and/or apply for a client who is purchasing the freehold of a leasehold property?

• If the remaining lease length in years plus the customer age is <200 years you will need to answer ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you intend to extend the lease as part of this application?’ You will then need to answer 999 years to the sub question ‘If you intend to extend the lease as part of this application, confirm the number of years on the lease once extended’. If your client decides to continue to apply, you will need to enter the Reason for loan as Purchase freehold.

Quote referrals

What happens if I'm using my preferred research portal and the quote needs to be referred?

• You will see a message on screen which indicates that the quote has been referred to us. We will look at the case and either accept or decline. We will email the decision to you within 48hours. You can find more information in our quote referrals guide on the support hub.

How long will it take before I receive a decision following an illustration referral?

• We'll contact you as soon as we've looked into why the quote was referred. We'll either accept or decline the quote. Either way we will contact you by email with further details, usually within 24-48 hours. 

What happens if a rate change happens during the referral process?

• You will only see indicative rate and loan values on screen whichown't be guaranteed until we have assessed the case and decided to acceot. At that point, we'll base the quote on prevailing rates. 

Rate Change

How will a rate change affect my clients quote?

• The interest rate shown on an online quote is guaranteed for 21 days from the date the illustration (KFI) is generated.  You can keep track of the expiry date by retrieving the quote within the Aviva Adviser website. 
• Each illustration remains valid throughout its full 21 day guarantee, no matter how much our pricing changes during that period. 
• You can generate a new illustration on up-to-date terms by using the Amend Quote button. 
• You can compare these terms against previous illustrations and continue to full mortgage application on whichever illustration you choose, subject to it being within its 21 day quote guarantee period. 

How will a rate change affect my clients application? 

• We are now providing you with the guarantee of always offering your customer the rates which you/the customer agreed and applied on.  This will be guaranteed for the full 14 week offer period.
• As soon as you submit the application online the 14 week rate guarantee will start followed by a 14 week reoffer period. The rate on the KFI that you apply on will be locked in for the 14 week offer period. 
• If you need to make a change to the application once it has been submitted you will need to contact our Operations team by email to LPEQREN@aviva.com.  
• If there are any changes required during this period, we will continue to apply the same pricing as applied to the customer’s guaranteed quote (i.e not our prevailing pricing when the change is requested). This means that we are only updating the loan, terms and interest rate based on only the changes being made. 

Application 

There's a phone number already showing in the phone number field - it won't let me delete it?

• This is an example phone number - you can overtype it

I've pressed submit on an application and it is now showing 'Pre Submitted' in the stage. Im not sure if it has submitted or not?

• If documents to support the application are available, for example Power of Attorney documents, they can be uploaded at this point before clicking the submit button. You need to submit the application again to move from Pre submitted to Submitted. As soon as Submitted shows you know the application has submitted successfully. 

Can I download the application for my compliance file?

• If you need a copy of the application, you will need to take a screenshot of each screen when you enter the application details. If you have already submitted the application online you can retrieve the application and click into each section then take a screenshot

What happens if the application is declined?

• If the application is declined due to the customer or property not meeting Aviva's lending criteria, you will see from the Application Dashboard that the status is Declined. We will contact you to discuss the decline reasons. 

What do I do if I need to make a change to the application after I have submitted it online?

• If you need to make a change to the application once it has been submitted you will need to contact our Operations team by email to LPEQREN@aviva.com. Please confirm the ER reference number and client name in the email. 

Where do I see the offer document online?

• You can view documents from the application dashboard under the link upload supporting documents. 
• To get to the application dashboard Login to the Adviser webiste, click on the Equity Release Tab, click on 'Case tracking' then choose the case from the list. 
• We will also email you a copy of the offer document. The email will show as being received from AvivaERDoNotReply

How do I view documents that have been produced during the online application, eg offer document, valuation report?

• You can view and download documents from the application dashboard under the link 'Upload supporting documents'. To get to the application dashboard login to the Adviser webiste, click on the 'Equity Release Tab', click on 'Case tracking' then choose the case from the list. 

Can a joint application have the same acting POA?

• No – each applicant much have a different acting POA, who in turn receive their financial and legal advice on behalf of the application as if it were a standard joint application. The online system will accept the same acting POA details for both borrowers, however we will be notified after you have submitted the application if the same POA details are used twice. In this instance, we will contact you to discuss further – the application may not be able to progress under these circumstances. 

Do I need to enter a client email address?

• No - this field is not mandatory. If you do enter an email address then all correspondence including the offer document will be sent by email. If an email has been provided AND the client has provided health and lifetsyle information AND is selected for sampling a medical consent form will be emailed to the client to sign by docusign. 

Can joint borrowers have the same email address?

• Yes - aslong as it is the client's own email address and not that of their friend/family member. 

What is the process if I submit an application with medical enhancements?

• The medical declaration is required if the case is selected for sampling (ie we will need consent from the client to access medical reports from their GP) . If the case is chosen for sampling based on rules built in the online system, at the end of the application journey when an adviser clicks ‘submit’ the stage moves from New to Pre-submitted and the medical consent will appear within the Actions section and will show as ‘red’ which indicates it is outstanding. You can then download the medical consent, get the client to sign and upload the signed consent as part of the application submission. OR they can submit without uploading at which point the system will check if we have an email address for the client and send the medical consent by email for the client to sign via docusign, or if no email we will post to the client to ask them to sign and return.
• Once submitted, the application does not pause at this point if a medical consent is outstanding, it continues through the underwriting stage.
• We will send an email notification to you if a medical consent form hasn’t been signed and returned within 7 days of the application being submitted. An email notification will also be sent if medical information hasn’t been returned by the GP within 14 days of legals being instructed. 

What happens if the valuation needs an upfront payment? 

• Once you have input all the application data, you will get to 'New' stage. On pressing the Submit button, you will then notice that in the Application Dashboard, the 'Fees Paid' section turns Red. By clicking on this link, you will be taken to the Task. Click on the Card Payment button to move to the secure card payment screen. You should input the customers card details in the screen to progress with the payment. 
• Once you've completed this, the 'Fees Paid' section will turn Green. You can then submit the application.

I am trying to submit an application for a client that doesn't have a mobile number. This field is mandatory, what do I do? 

• It doesn't have to be a mobile number, this is the primary contact number for the client so you can enter a landline number - as long as it is for the client and not a family member.

What happens if the valuation comes back inside 10% - will we keep the rate?

• We would hold that rate and no change will be made to it.

What happens if there is a change to the application either because the customer has requested a change or as a result of the valuation?

• We automatically apply our 14 week offer period as soon as you apply.  If there are any changes required during this period, we will use the rates that applied at the time the customer application was submitted (not the prevailing rate). This means that we are only updating the loan, terms and interest rate based on only the changes being made. 
• If you need to change the application details please contact our Operations team by emailing LPEQREN@aviva.com who will confirm any changes to the loan, terms or rate. Where the changes are due to the valuation return we will contact you. 

Why have you changed from using prevailing rates? 

• We are now providing you with the guarantee of always offering your customer the rates which you/the customer agreed and applied on. This will be guaranteed for the full 14 week offer period. We believe this is a better outcome for the customer as we are only using the changes the client has requested to produce a new rate.  
• As an example, if the customer has reduced the loan, we would use the rates that applied at the time of applying and calculate the new interest rate, which could drive a better interest rate to the customer and means the customer does not get passed on any increases that we have since made to our rates. We recognise there may be changes through the application process and therefore we are ensuring that you would obtain the same basis as they accepted KFI.
• We believe that our approach is fair to customers, advisers and Aviva. Whilst it’s a different pricing approach to what we offer today, we believe it’s important to maintain the guarantee that we set out with you/the customer as part of taking the application forward with Aviva. This ensures we always just take into account the changes that the customer is wanting to make, rather than applying any change based on our new rates.  

What happens if the case does not complete in 14 weeks?

• Our 14 week offer period provides a realistic length of time to complete in and with the launch of our digital platform this will also speed up application to offers. Our rates are only guaranteed for the initial 14 week period and therefore any cases that do not complete in 14 weeks will be updated based on the market rates on the expiry date, as we do today.  
• If the interest rate has stayed the same or decreased and there have been no other changes which would have caused a change to loan amount or the product then we will hold the original offer open for a further 14 weeks. We do not re-offer. If the rate has increased we will re-offer for a further 14 weeks.
• However if you need to make any further changes in the re-offer period (the 2nd 14 week period), we will continue to use this rate for any subsequent changes, providing a rate guarantee for a further 14 weeks. This means the customers terms and rates are only changed based on the new details and not due to any rating changes. 

I can see the prevailing rates are lower for this customer, why cant I get this rate?  

• You are able to submit a new application using these rates, however you will need to withdraw the current application and the process would start again.  

Valuation

Can I request a remote valuation?

• No, Aviva do not support Remote valuation

How can I view a valuation report?

• You can view the Valuation Report from the application dashboard under the link Upload Supporting documents. To get to the application dashboard Login to the Adviser website, click on the Equity Release Tab, Click on case tracking then choose the case from the list. 

What valuation fee is charged for offshore properties?

• The fee can fluctuate depending on which surveyor is available to travel. The illustration will show as a referral once you have entered the address details. We will then check what the fee is and update the quote. We will let you know once the quote has been updated and you will then need to retrieve the quote in the Adviser website and click on the 'Refresh quote' button.