Leeds Building Society: most-reported complaints
Automated analysis of 631 public Trustpilot reviews published 2026-02-18 to 2026-09-14. TrustScore 4.8 from 8,955 total reviews — see the Trustpilot page. Quick answer: is Leeds Building Society legit? Issues below reflect what reviewers reported, not findings of wrongdoing.
Reviewers most often report issues with account and app functionality, citing problems such as the inability to view mortgage balances or transactions online. Support-related concerns are also frequent, with customers describing unhelpful service and difficulties reaching representatives through missed callbacks or confusing communications. These complaints account for the majority of the 82 identified issues within the analyzed period.
How to reach Leeds Building Society
These are the contact details Leeds Building Society publishes on its Trustpilot profile, as of our last check on 2026-09-24 — it publishes no phone number there, address 26 Sovereign Street, Leeds, LS1 4BJ, GB.
The company claimed its Trustpilot profile on 2017-09-28, uses Trustpilot’s paid features, uses Trustpilot’s AI-assisted replies, and last replied to a negative review on 2026-09-11. Trustpilot ranks it 1 of 5 in Building Society. We last checked this profile on 2026-09-24 and found 31 new reviews. These are facts Trustpilot publishes about the profile, as of our last harvest.
Official complaint record
FCA (2025-H2): 67.8% of resolved cases upheld against the firm; 2,645 complaints opened with the firm. source
Financial Ombudsman (H2-2025): 30.1% of resolved cases upheld against the firm. source
Official figures reported by the regulator/ombudsman named; independent of our review analysis.
Authorised firm reference 164992 — check the FCA Register.
Forum footprint: 536 MoneySavingExpert forum discussions mention this company (browse). Roughly 1 of the top, relevance-sorted search results were posted in the last 90 days — an approximate figure by construction, not a true recency count. Recent thread titles: “Leeds Building Society Options Investment Plan”, “Free £5 when you open a Leeds Building Society savings account (north of England)”, “Free £5 when you open a Leeds Building Society savings account (north of England)”.
Elsewhere: 3.3★ on Google (29 reviews) — a 1.5-star gap between its Trustpilot and Google scores.
TrustScore over time
4.8 → 4.8 across 15 census measurements since 2026-08-12. Our own record, independent of Trustpilot’s display.
Reply behaviour over time
Solid: % of negative reviews replied to. Dashed: typical days to reply. Both as reported on this company’s Trustpilot profile, recorded whenever our census re-checked it and a figure had changed — the gaps between points are not equal: 2026-08-12 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-08-15 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-08-18 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-08-21 (97%, 0.3d) · 2026-08-24 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-08-27 (98%, 0.3d) · 2026-08-30 (98%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-05 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-08 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-11 (98%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-14 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-17 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-20 (99%, 0.3d) · 2026-09-24 (99%, 0.3d).
Severity: 17% of this company’s 82 graded complaints were classified as severe (money lost, an essential service cut off, or a problem unresolved for months). See the harm index.
1★ share of negative reviews over time
Share of 1–3★ Trustpilot reviews that were 1★
In March 2024, 70% of 10 one-to-three-star reviews were 1★; in July 2026, 50% of 14.
Counted from March 2024 onward — the period for which our capture of 1★, 2★ and 3★ reviews is complete for all three. Months with fewer than 10 such reviews are omitted.
Reviewers here waited a median of 1.4 days between the experience and publishing their negative review (372 reviews record both dates).
Ombudsman outcomes
The Financial Ombudsman Service has published 150 decisions naming this firm, of which 22% were upheld in the customer’s favour (26 upheld, 7 partly upheld, 117 not upheld).
Covers decisions dated 2013-06-25 to 2027-10-31, by the acceptance-deadline date the Ombudsman publishes — not the date the complaint was decided.
Official published outcomes from the Financial Ombudsman Service, not our analysis. Uphold rates reflect the cases that reached the ombudsman, not all complaints. source.
What their policy promises
complaint process: 5 working days
“You'll hear back from us within 5 working days”
complaint process: 15-35 working days
“We aim to resolve complaints within 15 working days, but in some cases it could take up to 35 working days.”
complaint process: six months
“You’ll have six months from the date of the letter to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service.”
Quoted verbatim from the company’s own published policy (source page); complaint counts are census classifications. As of 2026-09-12.
Policy-page monitoring
We monitor this company’s published policy page for changes. No changes have been detected since we started watching on 2026-09-01.
Automated change detection on the company’s own published policy page — a record of when the page changed, not a judgement on what changed.
Measured reply time: across 424 negative reviews that received a public reply, the median wait was 0.6 days — the company profile reports an average of under a day.
Reply quality: of 424 company replies to negative reviews analysed, 45% engaged with the specific problem and 50% were generic templates.
Review provenance: 197 company-invited reviews in the recent window average 4.77★, while 421 organic (uninvited) reviews average 4.89★.
23% of its 577 recent 5★ reviews came from accounts that had written only that one review when we captured it (the median across companies is about 39%). A high share is a reason to look closer, not evidence of fake reviews.
Sector benchmark: account/app problems makes up 27% of this company’s complaints vs a 25% median across 100 ranked companies in its sector.
Review velocity: 3,682 of this company’s 8,955 Trustpilot reviews (41%) were written in the last 12 months.
What are the most common complaints about Leeds Building Society?
Account/app problems
22 reports · 27% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“customers will no longer be able to view their mortgage balance or transactions online”
The company replied on 2026-06-10: “Hi Mr Dunton, thank you for taking time to leave us a review. The society has taken the decision to remove mortgage viewability online. I can appreciate this might feel like a backward step, but I…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“Surely it would be safer to log into my account and make a deposit”
The company replied on 2026-03-13: “Good morning David! With our savings accounts you are able to make the first deposit via a debit card, but any further payments would come via a bank transfer. When you do a bank transfer your bank…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I have now tried for two weeks to get into the account to put money in and been unable to just keeps coming up saying something went wrong.”
The company replied on 2026-08-27: “Good afternoon Anne, thank you for your review. I'm sorry to hear about the issue you've encountered while trying to fund the account. Would you be able to send us an email to…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
Support unhelpful
21 reports · 26% of complaintsfalling“The whole mortgage procedure with Leeds was a waste of time”
The company replied on 2026-05-20: “Hi Elliot. We're sorry to hear that you've had a bad experience with us and it's not something we would expect to see as we strive to give the best customer experience/ journey at all times. If you…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“Correspondence has been curt and hasn't explained the policy so I am left without any apparent reason.”
The company replied on 2026-03-12: “Good morning Malcolm, sorry to hear about the issues you've encountered during your attempts to transfer the ISA funds over to us. Just so I can look into this further for you and hopefully provide…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“LEEDS DECIDED NOT 2INFORM ME HAD 2wait HOURS 4INFORMATION!!!”
The company replied on 2026-03-02: “Hi Stuart we're sorry to hear of your issues in relation your salary update. If you need any further assistance please email [email protected] with more information so we can look to…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
Support unreachable
16 reports · 20% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“Once you sign, endless hassle, problems, missed callbacks, and misspelt emails that could easily be confused for a scam.”
The company replied on 2026-03-05: “Hi Steven,. We're sorry to hear about the issues you faced after taking your mortgage out with us. if you need us to look at anything, please email [email protected] and we can look…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“Couldn’t get any help from online customer services.”
The company replied on 2026-07-27: “Hi there, I’ve spoken to our CEO this morning and she would be interested to understand more, as she reviews many of our customer complaints personally. Please do get in touch with your details to…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
“No Online statement or balance check available”
The company replied on 2026-09-04: “Hi Manny, we’re really sorry for the frustration this has caused and impact it will have on your ability to view your mortgage online. This change wasn’t a decision we took lightly. We’re upgrading…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
Other
16 reports · 20% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“only explanation is that I am over 50 very disappointed”
The company replied on 2026-05-07: “Good afternoon, I am sorry to read that you were rejected for a mortgage application. We don't have an age cap on our mortgage products for customers in their 50s. We also offer mortgage products…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“Being a loyal customer for few years I got straight mortgage refusal without proper evaluation.”
The company replied on 2026-09-01: “Thanks for leaving a review, I'm sorry to hear we've declined your new mortgage offer. We'll always consider as much information as we can before making a decision. If you feel our decision wasn't…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
“the application was instead rejected due to a perceived flood risk on the property.”
The company replied on 2026-07-29: “Thanks for taking the time to share you experience, Andrew. I’m sorry to hear how disappointing and frustrating this has been, especially when you feel the reasons provided do not align with your…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
Misleading pricing
7 reports · 8% of complaintsrising since 2026-08“I was wrong and am being charged more!”
The company replied on 2026-03-06: “Hi Chris. We're sorry to hear of your issues whilst trying to renew your mortgage If you need us to look at any further please email [email protected] and we can look to assist…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I made a mortgage application and was pre-approved. The agent said it was fine to use a gifted deposit from a family member abroad yet I found out later that they won't accept it.”
The company replied on 2026-09-04: “Hi Danuta, we understand your frustration regarding the gifted deposit and the conflicting information. We are reviewing our internal processes to prevent such misunderstandings. If you call the…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
“Existing customers are not told or given the benefit of these higher rates”
The company replied on 2026-07-03: “Good morning, Peter! We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback regarding our interest rate. We understand your concerns about how these changes are communicated and their effect on…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
Overcharging
5 reports · 6% of complaintsfalling“I was therefore forced to pay the early redemption fees as I was desperate to move. It then came to light that I was having to move 2 days before the mortgage redemption fee dropped by 1%”
The company replied on 2026-02-19: “Hi Rhys. We're sorry to hear about the difficulties you faced when trying to move your mortgage and the disappointment you felt with the fees involved. If you need us to look at anything further…”
Our classifier read this reply as a substantive response.
It promised: to make contact.
2 readers marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I was wrong and am being charged more!”
The company replied on 2026-03-06: “Hi Chris. We're sorry to hear of your issues whilst trying to renew your mortgage If you need us to look at any further please email [email protected] and we can look to assist…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
1 reader marked this review helpful on Trustpilot.
“I would like Leeds Building Society to review this matter and consider refunding the £335 valuation fee”
The company replied on 2026-08-19: “Good morning Jideola, I'm sorry to hear of your disappointment regarding your BTL application. I'd like to look into this for your, would you be able to email us your details to…”
Our classifier read this reply as a template response.
Compare Leeds Building Society with…
Method: reviews are classified into a fixed complaint taxonomy by an automated reader; every category shown is backed by at least two verbatim quotes from distinct reviews. Trends are computed from dated review counts only. Negative reviews are deliberately over-sampled for evidence depth; headline percentages use an unbiased recent sample only. Report updated 2026-09-14.