VAS Audit has completed auditing and assurance services on more than £200 million of valuations for short-term property finance provider Signature Property Finance.
The audit company was retained by Signature Property Finance to provide independent analysis of valuation reports to decrease lending risks prior to funding.
VAS Audit and Signature Property Finance have been partners since 2017, and in that time VAS Audit has undertaken 500 reviews of valuations, equivalent to 15 audits a month across 60 different surveyors with an average value of £400,000 per property.
Signature Property Finance’s chief executive officer Tony Gilbertson (pictured) said: “In a market where some lenders will throw out low rates and high loan to value, to attract borrowers who rarely get the promised deal, we have focused on ensuring certainty of funding for our clients.
He added: “If we agree a deal at the outset, we deliver on those terms; no nasty surprises or last-minute rate increases. This approach requires total confidence in accurate valuations of the properties we are dealing with, which is where VAS Audit steps in. They consistently deliver what we need, when we need it.
VAS Audit’s managing director Daniel Owen-Parr said: “Signature understands that while a standard valuation is a solid base on which to make a lending decision, an audited valuation which has gone through a second layer of independent verification helps to further reduce property-specific lending risks.”
Anna is currently the deputy editor for Mortgage Solutions and editor for Specialist Lending Solutions. She has worked as a journalist since 2019, having secured her Gold Standard NCTJ diploma from News Associates in a fast-track six-month course.
She started her career as a report at specialist publication The Insurance Insider covering a wide range of areas before joining Mortgage Solutions and Specialist Lending Solutions in 2021.
In her role, she helps put together and structure the news agenda for the day and writes up press releases, reports, interviews, analyses and exclusives across both titles. She also commissions blogs for Specialist Lending Solutions and hosts online masterclasses and in-person events across the business.
She has been shortlisted for three journalism awards, which include BIBA Journalist and Media Awards Scoop of Year Award in 2020, Headline Money Mortgage Journalist of the Year Award (B2B) in 2022 and 2023.
Prior to being a journalist, Anna worked in ecommerce across Snow + Rock, Cycle Surgery and Runners Need websites, and before that worked at specialist financial PR firm Rostrum.
In her spare time, Anna enjoys reading, seeing live music, and cooking for friends and family. When she gets a chance, she also enjoys hiking, skiing and indoor rock climbing.