Not everyone can be an Olympic gold medalist, win an Oscar or a Nobel Prize, or sell millions of records. But there is a way for people who lack such traditional talents to achieve something that will be recorded for posterity along with their names: breaking a world record. With a little creativity and hard work, anyone can do it.

However, having the freedom to choose which discipline or activity you want to attempt a world record in doesn’t mean there are no rules at all. In fact, it’s quite the opposite when it comes to Guinness World Records verifying a record. Many only discovered after their attempt that they had missed something in the fine print, and in many cases what seemed like a clearly broken world record has been rejected on technical grounds. Here are ten of the most heartbreaking and hilarious examples.

Related: 10 world records that have never been broken

10 Eating the evidence

North Tehran, 2008. It’s early in the morning and a thousand chefs gather in front of the crowd and television cameras. They are about to take part in the preparation of the most unusual meal of their career: a 1,500-meter-long ostrich meat sandwich. It will take hours to pack the whopping 1,000 pounds of meat, but it will be worth it in the end. They must have gotten great publicity for ostrich meat. But more importantly, they will have beaten the Italian sandwich of 1,378 meters and conquered the world record.

At least that’s what they hoped before the drooling crowd of onlookers engulfed the enormous sandwich and started eating it before the Guinness representatives could measure it. Unable to verify its size, they had no choice but to reject the record. On the other hand, the secondary purpose of the stunt, namely to promote the consumption of ostrich meat in Iran, was successful.^[1]

9 Too many materials

Strangely enough, the largest type of food doesn’t always have to be made from the right ingredients to break the world record. An example of this is a huge lollipop sculpture that was erected in the town of Ravensthorpe, Australia, in 2019. At almost 8 meters high and 4 meters wide, it was believed to be larger than any other statue. other menacing lollipop on the planet when it was officially unveiled. However, the application for the Guinness World Record was rejected.

The reason wasn’t that it was inedible or even because of its size. The problem was that it was made of aluminum and steel. To qualify for the record, Guinness required the statue to be made of only one material. However, the rejected record did not bring down the city’s residents. They hoped that the lollipop would attract tourists to the problem area and that it would promote more creativity and happiness in the community.^[2]

8 Matchstick mix

It was also the bad luck of Frenchman Richard Plaud to choose the wrong material for his attempt to build the world’s tallest model of the Eiffel Tower from matchsticks. The model was completed in 2023, on the 100th anniversary of Gustav Eiffel’s death, and took him eight years to build. More than 23 kilos of glue held together the 706,900 matches needed to reach a height of 7 meters. However, they were not the right matches. Plaud bought them directly from a manufacturer who sold them to him without the red sulfur tips.

According to Guinness officials, only “commercially available” contests are allowed. Since matches are not typically sold this way, the plate was rejected even though the red bits would have been shaved off before being used in the model. This seemed like a harsh way to dismiss one’s dream, and fortunately for Plaud, someone at Guinness must have agreed. The day after the decision, officials reversed their position and congratulated him on setting a new world record.^[3]

7 No scrubs

World records can provide a path to sports stardom for those without world-class athletic skills. This is because they can be super specific. For example, running the fastest marathon ever is impossible for most people, but running the fastest marathon dressed as a nurse is realistic. In fact, nurse and runner Jessica Anderson almost broke the latter while training for the 2019 London Marathon, so she decided she would make an official attempt that day.

She finished in a time of 3:08:22, beating the existing record by 32 seconds. But her application for the world record was rejected. Why? Because according to Guinness, she wasn’t dressed as a nurse. She had chosen to wear real scrubs, but the requirements called for a fancy dress nurse outfit with a traditional cap and apron. After she complained about the outdated requirements and received online support from other nurses, Guinness agreed to revise their criteria and ultimately awarded her the record.^[4]

6 The ‘tornado with turban’ was too old to prove that he was the oldest

Earning a great nickname like the ‘Turbaned Tornado’ might have taken the sting out of this next rejected attempt at running a record-breaking marathon. Unfortunately for the runner, whose real name is Fauja Singh, this decision could not be reversed. It was impossible for him to provide the proof that Guinness needed. The record in question is the oldest man to complete a full marathon, a record Singh is said to have set in Toronto in 2011 at the age of 100.

It took him more than eight hours, fourteen minutes of which he reached the starting line, and no one disputes his inspiring feat of completing the entire distance. The problem was verifying his age. Officials demanded a birth certificate, but Singh was unable to produce one because no official birth records were kept in India in 1911, the year his passport shows he was born. Being a British citizen, he also received the official letter from Queen Elizabeth II sent to her centenarian subjects. But even this would not convince officials to grant him the record.^[5]

5 Hanging left

Some Guinness World Records have age restrictions. And while it’s one thing to stop someone from attempting a record because they’re out of the age range, what happens if they’ve already done it and succeeded? Or has this not only succeeded, but also broken the existing record? In December 2023, the world found out, and unfortunately, it seems like the officials preferred to stick to their rules rather than report the record in the real world. This was the result for Helena, an incredibly strong eight-year-old girl from Leeds, UK, who filmed herself performing an excruciating 35-minute dead hang.

The previous record for a woman of any age was less than half that, at exactly 12 minutes. But Guinness disqualified Helena’s record because of her age. They said the physically demanding nature of the challenge meant they could not allow children under 16 to attempt it. Helena’s family and even their local MP urged Guinness to reconsider the decision. But they didn’t, leading to a bizarre situation where at least one ‘official’ world record is known to be wrong.^[6]

4 Too young to qualify

Another British youngster who has missed a world record – actually two world records – is Lauren Booth. Despite having cerebral palsy, Lauren is an elite cyclist who held national records in 2015, when she was just 13 years old, and could pedal 200 meters around a course in under 15 seconds. A few years earlier she had taken only slightly longer (15.129 seconds) to complete the 200 meters at the Wales National Velodrome. It was a speed that would have been a record at the time, but was denied because she was too young.

In 2015, Lauren then set an astonishing time of 14.402 seconds. It became her new personal record and was intended as a world record attempt. However, the invited doping testers did not show up. This meant that the record would not have counted. But as luck would have it, her great time wouldn’t have been fast enough by then either. The record was broken a few hours earlier on the other side of the world, in New Zealand.^[7]

3 Too windy

In July 2022, Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan delivered a stellar performance in the women’s 100 meters hurdles at the World Athletics Championships. She had broken the world record in her semi-final, finishing in 12.12 seconds. This made her 0.08 seconds faster than the previous title holder, and she still had the last race to go. In top form, she won gold with an even faster time of 12.06 seconds. However, this was not registered as a new world record.

As the holder of the existing record, which she had set just two hours earlier, and taking home the gold medal, Amusan was probably not devastated by the denial of the record. She may have wondered why, and the answer is that the wind value was too high. This meant she had too much backing to make a fair comparison with other records, so this one did not qualify.^[8]

2 When a city is not one area

Another way to set a world record that is open to everyone is to organize a meeting of something. Bring together more of the same in one area than ever before, and it could be a record. Of course, there are limits to what counts as one area, as the town of Hoschton, Georgia, discovered in 2008 when they were denied the Guinness World Record for the most scarecrows.

In 2008, they decided to make their annual scarecrow contest even bigger by attempting to beat the record of 3,311 scarecrows collected five years earlier in Cincinnati, Ohio. They succeeded with a total of 5,441 scarecrows. But even though they had more than 2,000 extra scarecrows – including a stuffed Elvis and Jesus – Guinness denied the record.

Unlike in Cincinnati, where they were put on display at a show, the Hoschton scarecrows were scattered throughout the city streets. According to the officials, this would not count. However, organizers were still pleased with the community spirit and attention the city received from the event.^[9]

1 A Titanic collection

There are numerous records about the ‘world’s largest collection’. Just like the scarecrow example above, anyone can do them because all they need is a little imagination, time and the resources to bring many similar or related things together in one place. But not many of exactly the same, because according to Guinness, duplicates do not count in a collection. It’s easy to see why this rule might exist; Officials certainly do not want to spend their time verifying, for example, the largest “collection” of sand or rice in the world.

As such, factories and warehouses would also have a major advantage over individuals. However, this rule meant that in 2023 a man from Florida with more than 2,000 copies of Titanic also missed on VHS. It’s okay though. His unique hobby may not have earned him the record for the largest collection, but what he really wants is to collect a million copies and use them to build a – hopefully record-breaking – replica of the Titanic.^[10]

Judd Nelson had no interest in revisiting his Brat Pack days Andrew McCarthy’s upcoming documentary, Brats.

“It seems strange that this topic is something for edited entertainment,” Nelson, 64, said exclusively We weekly while attending Children Uniting Nations’ 24th Annual Academy Awards Celebration & Viewing Dinner on Sunday, March 10. ‘He’s a nice guy too, but I hadn’t seen him in 35 years. And it’s like, I’m not going to do that [be] like, “Hey!” No man.”

McCarthy’s ABC News documentary, airing on Hulu later this year, examines the zeitgeist that changed the careers of Hollywood’s biggest young stars of the 1980s. Although Nelson confirmed that there was a “request” for him to participate in the project, he ultimately “politely declined” the offer.

“I don’t even know who’s in the Brat Pack,” Nelson said Us, noting that being part of the cultural phenomenon wasn’t exactly a bright spot in his career. “It’s like, why a rebirth of something that wasn’t necessarily fun? … How can we be experts on something that never really existed?”

A play on the nickname The Rat Pack, consisting of actors from the 1960s, including Dan Martin And Frank Sinatrathe Brat Pack was first conceived in 1985 New York magazine article, which largely described cast members of two major films released that year: The breakfast club And St. Elmus Fire. Nelson, McCarthy, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Emilio Estevez, Mare Winningham And Molly Ringwald were all part of the gang, but certain other A-listers were also grouped together, such as Timothy Hutton, Tom Cruise, Nicholas Cage And Sean Penn.

Although Nelson admitted that those labeled as Brat Pack members were “friends” at the time, their ties were often exaggerated. “What was so strange is that I was living in New York and then I made a film with people here [in L.A.],” he explained. “So it’s like this, then I hang out with them… and then when the movie’s over, I go back to New York. I’m not going to hang out [and be like], ‘Hey, let’s go to the Hard Rock Café.’ It’s weird.”

Nelson added that although the so-called Brat Pack all “got along great” and had “a great time together” on set – the actor still has a close bond with his Breakfast club costars, he said Us – they would go their separate ways once the project was over.

And because the name received so much publicity at the time, Nelson said Us that the young stars were encouraged to “stay away” from each other due to the negative connotation.

“They’ve kind of painted my generation of actors as entitled, irresponsible and unprofessional,” he explained, claiming there was little truth in the rumors of bad behavior. “While my experience was that everyone was on time. Everyone knows their lines. It’s so weird.”

McCarthy’s documentary will feature not only the Brat Pack itself, but also journalists David Blumwho coined the term New York cover story that was initially intended as a profile on Estevez. In the piece, he described the group as undeserving, uneducated young actors who party together and appear in films. (Blum shared his regrets about writing the article two years after it was published.)

Over the years, Nelson has been clear in his feelings for Blum. During a 2015 episode of author Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast, he shared that his “gut feeling” was to knock Blum “out” when he met him.

“I knew right away there was a problem,” Nelson said when Blum joined him and his friends on a night out. “When this man is eating, I say to Emilio, ‘Who is this man?’ [He said,] “Well, he’s a reporter, he’s writing an article about me,” [I said,] “I don’t think he should be here, I don’t like him.” He’s sitting at the table when I say this.

He continued, “This guy, just something about him, he stinks of him, and I think in hindsight I would have been better served if I had followed my gut feeling and knocked him out.” At least I would have felt better about it.”

It was Nelson’s standout performance as ‘criminal’ John Bender The breakfast club and his role in it St. Elmus Fire which made him famous in the 1980s. After the New York magazine article made headlines, most of the Brat Pack were not seen on screen together again for decades. In the 2000s, Nelson shifted his focus to TV with programs such as Ssuddenly Susan, CSI, Two and a half Men, Nikita, rich And Law and order: SVUbut none of those appearances featured other former Brat Packers.

“After that article, not only were we strongly encouraged to stop working with each other – and for the most part we didn’t – but it was also insinuated that we might not want to deal with these people anymore,” claimed Nelson during his speech. Easton Ellis podcast interview. “And it was like I didn’t know that good friends are so easy to find in this world that they have to be thrown apart.”

With reporting by Andrea Simpson

By Brian Marks for Dailymail.com

Published: 01:54 EDT, March 14, 2024 | Updated: 01:59 EDT, March 14, 2024

A UN official said a truck carrying aid was turned over in Gaza this week contained scissors included in medical kits for children, drawing attention to what aid groups have said is a burdensome Israeli inspection process that is delaying crucial humanitarian aid.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the main UN agency providing support to Palestinians in Gaza, said the truckload had been rejected because medical scissors had been added to a list of items classified by Israeli authorities as “dual use”. ‘ are considered, or have both. civil and military purposes.

COGAT, the Israeli agency that oversees aid deliveries to Gaza, accused Mr Lazzarini of lying, saying it was in constant contact with the United Nations and had not been informed of the denial. The agency said 1.5 percent of emergency trucks trying to enter the area were turned away.

Mr Lazzarini is the latest official to say that Israeli army inspections are preventing aid from reaching Gaza’s 2.2 million residents. Last week, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said: said during a parliamentary debate that “too many” goods were rejected because they were dual-use, including items that are medically necessary.

A member of the British Parliament said this month that Israel had rejected 1,350 water filters and 2,560 solar lamps supplied by the British government because they were considered a threat.

Miriam Marmur, director of public advocacy at Gisha, an Israeli nonprofit that works to protect the free movement of Palestinians, said the Israeli list covers broad categories that could include thousands of items, making it difficult to know what is banned . Many items rejected are not explicitly listed, she said.

“This uncertainty follows years of uncertainty about what exactly qualifies as dual-use from Israel’s perspective, as well as when and how these items can be brought into Gaza,” she said.

Mr Lazzarini said it was crucial to speed up the release of supplies to Gaza. “The lives of 2 million people depend on it, there is no time to lose,” he wrote on social media.

Israel has maintained a list of dual-use items that require special permission to enter Gaza as part of its blockade of the enclave, which began years before the October 7 Hamas-led attack sparked the current war. For years, the list and approval process were hidden from public view. Israeli authorities only made the list public after a legal battle. according to Gishawho asked the court to request his release.

Support groups have said that a single item identified as dual-use can cause an entire truckload to be rejected, and groups sometimes are not told what the item was or why it was rejected.

COGAT has said that many of the trucks being turned away are repacked and brought in later, and that any bottleneck is a result of the aid groups’ ability to handle distribution, rather than Israeli restrictions.

In January, two U.S. senators visiting a border crossing between Egypt and Gaza said they saw a warehouse near the crossing filled with rejected items, including tents, oxygen concentrators, water testing kits, water filters, solar-powered refrigerators and used medical kits. for delivering babies.

Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat of Oregon, said after the trip that the Israeli inspections were necessary, but the delays they caused had unacceptable consequences.

“If it lasts a week when help is desperately needed, that means people are short of food, clean water and medical supplies,” he said in the Senate at the time.

Bradley Cooper was back on dad duty on Tuesday when he took daughter Lea de Seine to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, after another Oscar loss.

The Maestro star, 49, stayed comfortable as he arrived at the Happiest Place on Earth, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, black puffer vest, gray sweatpants and Nike sneakers.

The actor – who recently admitted he struggled to “really love Lea” during the first eight months after her birth – shielded his eyes with sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Lea, six – who he shares with Russian model’s ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk, 38 – looked adorable in a tie-dye jumper, navy blue skirt and black boots.

It comes after Bradley’s Academy Awards losing streak reached double figures on Sunday after he was snubbed for the twelfth time.

Cooper has been nominated twelve times – four for best actor – but has not yet won the golden statue.

He earned three nominations for his film Maestro – best picture, best actor, best original screenplay – but went home empty-handed.

It was revealed on Tuesday that Cooper’s apparently inconsistent political stance on the Middle East conflict is ‘partly responsible’ for Maestro’s blatant ‘left out’ during awards season, insiders claim.

Cooper — who brought along his mother Gloria Campano as his Oscar date — seemed primed for a string of accolades when it was announced he would write, direct and star in the Netflix biopic about the life of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein.

But the actor, who is dating Palestinian-American supermodel Gigi Hadid, 28, lost out at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes and SAG Awards before failing to take the coveted gongs for Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay or Best Film during Sunday night’s Oscars.

His ‘flip-flop’ over his support for Israel is believed to have played a role in his twelfth Oscars, with some reportedly feeling he should have remained ‘neutral’ rather than wading into the conflict.

“Bradley’s criticism of his support for Israel was partly to blame for him being left out of this awards season,” a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. “It didn’t match his message for this film.”

Cooper was one of hundreds of celebrities who signed a letter in October calling for the release of hostages taken by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Just days later, he also signed an open letter to Joe Biden asking the president to call for a ceasefire in Israel and Palestine, and an end to the “devastating loss of life and the unfolding horrors’ in both countries.

“Whether it’s out of support for his girlfriend or his true beliefs, he signed his name to both letters,” the insider continued. ‘You cannot support Israel and then support Palestine. He should have remained neutral.”

Bradley’s first hurdle to achieving awards success came before the film’s release, when controversy arose over his performance in the biopic.

The Silver Linings Playbook actor has faced strong backlash for using a prosthetic nose, a decision labeled “problematic” by Hollywood Reporter’s chief TV critic Daniel Fienberg.

Others called it “anti-Semitic” and accused him of “Jew-face.”

However, Bernstein’s children said they had no problem with the prosthesis and that their father wouldn’t have one either.

Awards season buzz increased amid the growing conflict in the Middle East, with Cooper’s girlfriend Hadid sparking a backlash when she used her platform to speak out in defense of the Palestinian people.

She accused Israel of the “kidnapping, rape, humiliation, torture and murder of Palestinians” and falsely portrayed Palestinian terrorist Ahmed Manasra as a “child prisoner of war” in an online post.

The model – whose father is Palestinian – later apologized for her ‘mistake’, which she said was careless.

Hadid said she wanted to “show the ways in which international law is being violated by the Israeli government,” and said that a Palestinian child arrested by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would be treated differently than an Israeli child arrested by the IDF is stopped. ‘

“Unfortunately, I used the wrong example to make that point, and I regret it,” she continued.

“I understand that the power of my platform comes with enormous responsibility.

‘I’m human and I make mistakes. But I also hold myself responsible for those mistakes.’

CHELSEA have reportedly been rejected after approaching Girona boss Michel Sánchez, with the Spaniard eyeing a move to a Premier League rival.

Michel, 48, has performed wonders this season after leading newly promoted Girona to second place in LaLiga.

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Chelsea are considering their options after a disappointing season under Mauricio Pochettino.

And IF claims Michel has held talks with Stamford Bridge chiefs over a deal starting this summer.

Chelsea flew several big wigs to Spain for the meeting.

They apparently showed their admiration for Michel’s miracle job at Girona.

And they also explained their vision for Todd Boehly’s stumbling block project.

However, Michel is said to have rejected Chelsea’s proposal.

He has no plans to leave Girona after just a year in the top flight.

And it is also believed that Michel has his sights set on bigger prizes.

HOW TO GET FREE BETTS ON HORSE RACING

Girona is owned by City Group, which also controls Treble winners and current Premier League champions Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s Etihad contract expires in 2025, raising questions about his long-term future.

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And Michel is reportedly waiting for the City job if Guardiola ultimately decides to step down.

Those at the helm of City Group are also currently favoring Michel as Pep’s replacement.

But for Chelsea, this means they will be forced to look elsewhere if they part ways with Pochettino.

Thomas Tuchel, Roberto De Zerbi and Jose Mourinho have all been linked with the hotseat.

Julen Lopetegui, Eddie Howe and Jesse Marsch are also reported as options.

Sir Michael Gambon has left his £1.5million estate to his wife, leaving nothing to his girlfriend Philippa, with whom he shared two teenage sons.

The Dumbledore actor, who has died aged 82, openly divided his time between Lady Anne Gambon and set designer Phillipa Hart, who was 25 years his junior.

His will, published on March 5, showed that almost all of his fortune went to his wife Anne.

His long-term girlfriend, Philippa, refused to tell the Daily Mail whether she knew she had been left out of the actor’s will.

But who is the late actor’s long-term girlfriend? MailOnline takes a look into the life of set designer Philippa Hart.

Who is Philippa Hart?

Philippa Hart, known to the public as Sir Michael Gambon’s mistress, is a set designer.

She has helped with sets for a range of iconic films including Nanny McPhee, Scoop, The Likely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry, Sense And Sensibility and The Hours.

Her portfolio also includes working on historical drama miniseries A Very British Scandal and Doctor Zhivago.

Michael and Philippa first looked at each other when they were working on the Channel 4 series Longitude over twenty years ago in 2000.

According to The sunthe Harry Potter actor who famously portrayed the iconic character Dumbledore openly referred to Philippa as his girlfriend on the set of Gosford Park.

The set designer, born in 1965, was 25 years younger than the much-decorated actor.

Did Michael Gambon have a wife?

Although Michael openly introduced Philippa as his girlfriend to the likes of Charles Dance and Maggie Smith, the actor was also married to another woman.

In 1962, Michael married wife Anne (née Miller) at the age of 22.

Lady Gambon has a passion for making her own pottery, as well as bookbinding.

The retired mathematician was reportedly devastated by the news of her husband’s extramarital affair.

The couple lived in their £5 million home in Kent for most of their marriage.

However, Lady Gambon briefly left their family home following the news of his relationship with Philippa Hart.

Anne and Michael share a son called Fergus, 60, who is a ceramics expert.

The 60-year-old, who heads Bonham’s ceramics and glass department, regularly appears on the BBC’s Antique Roadshow.

Do Michael Gambon and Philippa Hart have children?

In total, the late actor has three children, one with his wife Anne Miller and two with his girlfriend Philippa.

Michael’s second son, Tom, whom he shares with Philippa, was born in 2007 when the actor was 66 years old.

Their second son Will was welcomed into the world in 2009.

How did Michael Gambon die?

Michael Gambon died on September 28, 2023 at the age of 82 from pneumonia.

It is believed that Sir Michael and Mrs Hart had not been together for some time before his death.

When he died, a statement was released on behalf of Lady Gambon and Fergus which said: ‘We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon.

‘Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, after a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82.

‘We ask that you respect our privacy during this painful time and thank you for your expressions of support and love.’

Michael was known for his iconic acting roles, including his portrayal of Professor Albus Dumbledore in Harry Potter.

The actor signed up to take part in the third film after the actor who originally played the role – Richard Harries – died of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2002.

He appeared in every Harry Potter film until the final The Deathly Hallows Part Two was released in 2011.

His film credits include Uncle Pastuzo in Paddington, William McCordle in Gosford Park and Franklin Bean in Fantastic Mr Fox.

He was nominated for thirteen Olivier Prizes, appeared in numerous productions of William Shakespeare and particularly excelled in Othello.

He also starred in a series of popular TV shows and in 1968 won an audition to become the next James Bond in On her Majesty’s Secret Service after Sean Connery dropped out.

However, Michael told producer Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli ‘I don’t have nice hair and I’m a bit fat’ and the role went to George Lazenby.

By Hannah Wilcox for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 6:50 AM EST, February 29, 2024 | Updated: 09:17 EST, February 29, 2024

According to real estate agents and real estate experts, lenders are becoming so cautious that they are rejecting mortgages for increasingly ‘strange’ reasons.

The list of reasons why your application could be rejected is growing as lenders try to reduce their risk during what is considered a difficult time for the property market.

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What might once have been seen as oddities, such as old apartment buildings without lifts or former council housing, are now seen as unwanted investments for mortgage lenders.

Before lenders can offer you a mortgage, they require that you carry out a survey of the property to ensure it is in good condition.

They will also have a valuation carried out to make sure the property is worth the price you pay for it, as they don’t want to lend more money than they get back.

Open Property Group boss Jason Harris-Cohen told The Sun that banks and building societies are tightening their criteria “across the board” to reduce their exposure to potentially risky properties.

“While the outlook for the year ahead is positive, interest rates remain at their highest levels since 2008,” he said.

‘At the start of the year we also saw a number of lenders starting to reduce mortgage rates in anticipation of a drop in base rates that never came.

“This will have led to some lenders adjusting the stringency of their lending criteria, especially when it comes to determining whether a property is habitable or not.

“It is possible that homebuyers in today’s market may find their mortgages rejected for some rather strange reasons.”

Here we reveal some of the top strange reasons why lenders reject home loan applications and what you can do about them.

Apartments without elevator

An apartment in a historic apartment building was once seen as a quirky place to live.

But now it can be fraught with complications, making lenders eager to stay far away.

One of those reasons is the lack of an elevator in the building, which means that apartments on the fourth floor or higher are no longer mortgageable, which affects millions of households.

A number of major banks and building societies told The Sun they will no longer offer mortgages on high-rise properties with only stairs in the building, as these are becoming undesirable for an aging population.

An estimated 42% of people living in flats – around 1.5 million households – are on the fourth floor or higher and do not have a lift in their building.

Jonny Magill, Chief Sales Officer at Purplebricks, says: “Once a flat goes above four floors, it can become difficult to sell if there is no lift.

“Most lenders would require the building to have a lift, but it all comes down to the risk appetite of the individual lender and other factors such as location and lease term.”

When you buy a property with a lease, also known as a ‘leasehold’, it means that you are buying the right to live in a house for a certain period of time, but you do not own the land on which it stands. This is more common in apartments.

Leases are typically sold for a fixed number of years, such as 999 years, but some apartments have very short leases, making them more difficult to sell.

Mr Harris-Cohen added: “There has been a move away from apartments on the fourth floor or higher without a lift, and some lenders will refuse to lend on apartment buildings over six or seven floors.”

If you want to buy a high-rise apartment without a lift, consider looking at smaller or alternative lenders, or concentrate on other aspects of the property that make this desirable.

For example, such apartments in popular areas such as central London are likely to sell more easily than those in smaller towns.

‘Uninhabitable’ homes

Real estate experts say more and more homes are being deemed “uninhabitable” because of issues that may not have mattered in the past.

Lenders are typically looking for a property that is structurally sound and utilizes a standard building type, but also generally has functional features for living, such as running water.

But now there are other ‘grey area’ reasons where houses are theoretically fully habitable, but can be classified as ‘high risk’.

“It is these homes that often fall into the category of uninhabitable with some lenders, or in times of market uncertainty, having previously secured a mortgage offer with few problems,” says Mr Harris-Cohen.

He said factors that could make a house “uninhabitable” include short leases, flood risks, wider development plans in a particular area, the fact that the property is partly commercial or the presence of invasive species such as knotweed in the area.

“Whether or not a property is weatherproof will also play a role and the type of roof can have an impact,” he added.

David Hollingworth, associate director at L&C Mortgages, added that homes without a kitchen – or with more than one kitchen – could also face problems.

“A second kitchen in the main house would not be typical and could therefore be flagged by the valuation and impact the lending decision,” he said.

If your dream home is facing problems, it pays to have a detailed investigation carried out to determine whether the risks are really of concern.

A proper survey can show that the house is high risk, or if it becomes clear, can be used as evidence to show to your lender.

Regular surveys, also known as level two or three home surveys, cost a few hundred pounds, but a full structural survey typically costs more than £1,500, according to the Home Owners Association.

Mortgage consultancy John Charcol says that your lender should let you know what needs to be done to possibly make the property mortgageable.

Ex-municipal homes

Homes previously owned by local authorities are increasingly raising red flags with lenders, mortgage experts told The Sun.

This means you may have less choice when it comes to taking out a mortgage.

They will look at several factors, including the number of former council or council homes in the area, how the building was built, whether it is a high-rise and the length of the lease for the house or flat.

Mr Harris-Cohen explained: “It is believed that former local authority properties lose value over time and could deter lenders.”

If you buy an ex-council flat in a block, lenders may also take into account the number of privately owned apartments in the block.

According to John Charcol, lenders typically want at least half of the properties in a block to be privately owned.

“While it may be discriminatory, many lenders consider a building less desirable if it is occupied largely by municipal tenants rather than private owners,” the company explains.

Spray foam insulation

As revealed by The Sun last year, a number of banks and building societies will now no longer lend to homes that have had spray foam installed.

Some lenders will automatically deny applications even if the spray foam is not currently causing a problem.

And real estate agents, brokers and appraisers all report seeing an increase in mortgage applications being rejected due to spray foam in the property.

This could make the approximately 250,000 installed homes virtually unsellable as potential buyers may not be able to obtain a loan.

Spray foam has been used for decades as a means of retaining heat or stabilizing a failing roof covering.

Typically, this method involves spraying a liquid foam onto the inside of the roof, which then hardens and forms a hard layer of insulation.

However, there are risks involved as it can cause structural damage if not installed correctly.

“Structural safety concerns associated with spray foam insulation are causing many to shy away from such features,” Harris-Cohen said.

Ollie Creevy, managing director of Insulation Advisor, added: “We have noticed that homeowners often experience difficulty selling their homes with spray foam insulation, and we have received calls from people wanting to remove it to make their homes more marketable.”

Some lenders require a full structural survey to assess whether spray foam will be a problem, so agreeing to this may mean they decide to lend if no problems arise.

Experts recommend calling professionals to remove spray foam if possible. For a typical three-bed house this could cost anywhere between £3,000 and £4,000, Mr Creevy said.

High property maintenance costs

Maintenance charges and ground rents for apartments are nothing new, but have risen significantly over time and now some apartments are saddled with high costs, making them harder to sell.

And it’s not just apartments: last year we revealed how millions of new-build homes also have to pay maintenance costs, making them less attractive to buyers.

A CMA report released this week found that 80% of homes built by the 11 largest developers now have maintenance costs attached.

As a result, mortgage lenders view these properties as higher risk because they need to be able to sell a house quickly if something goes wrong.

Mr Hollingworth said: ‘Leasehold properties with high ground rents are unattractive to buyers, so banks are reluctant to lend.

“The estate charges are in principle comparable to the ground rent, so people who buy new-build houses with high costs may experience the same problems in the future.”

Before purchasing a home, it is a good idea to thoroughly investigate any costs associated with the home and assess whether it is affordable and whether you can afford to increase the cost.