Mortgage Difficulties Advice

Worried about repossession?

If you're struggling to pay your mortgage you need to act quickly.
If you are contacted by your mortgage lender about missed payments or you don't understand a letter you must contact your lender and try and sort out the problem. You can also contact the Housing Advice Team here at the Council. We can go through your housing options with you so that you can find the best way out of the problem for you and your family.

Repossession Prevention Fund.

The Council’s Housing Advice team has set aside a modest sum of money to help prevent repossessions or evictions for households who are struggling to pay their mortgage or rent due to the economic recession and through no fault of their own.The Repossessions Prevention scheme is one of several ways in which the Housing Advice team can help prevent homelessness and has already been successful in assisting a number of households at risk of homelessness

The Housing Advice team will negotiate with your landlord or mortgage lender and agree with them how much of the arrears they are willing to write-off and stop any repossession actions, provided that the remainder is cleared by the Repossession Prevention scheme. This ensures that you can remain in the property.

The maximum amount we can consider is usually no more than £3,000 and in most cases will be repayable by you on an interest free basis. If you are experiencing difficulties paying your mortgage or your rent please contact the housing advice team to see if we can help.

Where can I find more information?

Alternatively you could also contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau or your local Shelter advice service.
It is important that you get independent advice before making any hasty decisions such as just giving up your home and handing the keys to the lender or selling your home to an organisation who promises to rent it back to you and allow you to remain in your home. The companies that offer buy-and-rent-back schemes are not regulated and the standard of service offered can differ widely. Most offer no security in terms of how long you can stay in your home or the rent they will charge you.

Mortgage lenders should only take possession of your home as a last resort, they are required to go through all the alternative options. For example they could lengthen the period of your mortgage to make the monthly payments smaller, change your mortgage to interest only for a short period or allow you time to sell your home, if this is what you want.
Alternatively you could qualify for Homeowners Mortgage Support.

More information on Homeowners Mortgage Support click here

If you are experiencing difficulties paying your mortgage please come to us now for advice.