Help dealing with mortgage debts

With the cost-of-living crisis running on, and with the recent rises in interest rates, many people in Salford are finding it hard to pay their mortgages.

We know that the Bank of England thinks that it’s about now that just over half of mortgage holders on fixed rate low interest mortgages will be forced to move to more expensive mortgages as fixed deals come to an end.

If you’ve been struggling to keep up your mortgage payments, you may have started to build up a debt. This is often called mortgage arrears. 

You might be in debt because you missed one or more monthly payments or you’re paying less money each month than your monthly payment.

You’ll need to work out a way to pay back what you owe. If the debt continues to build up, your lender will take you to court, and you might end up losing your home.

Pay your mortgage arrears before other debts

Mortgage arrears are a ‘priority debt’ – this means you need to pay them before other debts like credit cards. If you have more than one debt, you can work out which debts to pay first.

Your mortgage lender will contact you if you owe them money – make sure you don’t ignore them. Explain your situation and tell them you’re trying to work out how to pay back the money you owe. They might give you more time to pay off the debt.

If you decide to change your mortgage to pay off your debt, you should make sure you understand how any change in your mortgage could affect you. You can get independent financial advice to help you make a decision.

When you’ve decided how you’re going to repay your debt, your mortgage lender needs to agree to the terms.

Speak to an experienced debt adviser immediately if you:

  • don’t have any options for paying off your debt
  • can’t reach an agreement with your mortgage lender
  • have had a letter from your mortgage lender threatening court action

There are things you might be able to do to help to pay off some or all of your debt.

For more information about dealing with mortgage arrears you can visit the national Citizens Advice online information resource and tools at:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/debt-and-money/mortgage-problems/how-to-deal-with-mortgage-debts/

There is no need to pay for debt advice in Salford. We can help you if you need more help, and details of how to contact us are available on www.salfordcab.org.uk.

Tom Togher

December 2023.