If you are struggling to pay your mortgage, it is important to know that help is available and acting early makes a real difference. This guide explains getting help with mortgage arrears: contacting your lender, the options they may offer, free advice services, and the protections that exist, so you can take positive steps.
Do not ignore it
The most important thing is not to ignore mortgage difficulties; acting early, before you fall behind or as soon as you do, gives you and your lender the best chance to find a solution and stops the situation getting worse, as our guide to managing your mortgage relates. So however worrying it feels, facing the problem early and seeking help is far better than waiting, and many situations can be resolved.
Contact your lender first
Your first step should be to contact your lender, who is required by the regulator to treat customers in financial difficulty fairly and to consider the options with you. Explaining your situation early lets them help. So rather than avoiding their letters or calls, getting in touch with your lender is the key first move, as they have ways to support borrowers in difficulty and would rather find a solution than see you fall further behind.
The options your lender may offer
Lenders can offer various forms of help depending on your circumstances, such as extending your mortgage term to lower payments, switching temporarily to interest-only, agreeing a payment arrangement for part-payments, or adding arrears to the balance once you are back on track, as our guide to interest-only relates. So there are real options to discuss. The right one depends on your situation, which is why an early, honest conversation with your lender matters.
Get free debt advice
Free, confidential debt advice is available from charities and services including StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice, MoneyHelper and Shelter, who can help you understand your options, prepare a budget, and even liaise with your lender. You should never have to pay for basic debt advice. So reaching out to one of these free services is a positive, practical step that can help you take control and find a way forward.
Prepare a budget
Completing an income and expenditure budget helps you see your finances clearly, work out what you can afford, and show your lender your situation, which helps them agree a realistic arrangement. Free advice services can help you do this. So preparing a clear budget is a useful step that supports your discussions with your lender and helps you take charge of your finances during a difficult time.
Check benefits and other help
It is worth checking whether you are entitled to benefits or other support, as these can ease your finances, and in some cases there is help with mortgage interest for those on certain benefits, as our guide to your options relates. If you have mortgage payment protection insurance, check whether you can claim. So making sure you are receiving all the help you are entitled to can make a meaningful difference.
Repossession is a last resort
If you are worried about losing your home, it is important to know that repossession is always a last resort, used only after other options have been explored, and it is rarely immediate, so acting early and engaging gives you the best chance of keeping your home, as our guide to protecting your payments relates. So while arrears are serious, there is time to act, and help and protections exist to support you.
What the lender can consider
Lenders can consider a range of measures to help you through a difficult period, tailored to your situation, and they are expected to consider any reasonable suggestions you make, as our guide to repayment options relates. So the conversation with your lender is a two-way one where solutions can be found. Coming to it with a clear picture of your finances, and ideas for what could help, supports a constructive outcome.
Breathing space and time to plan
Schemes exist to give people in debt time to get advice and plan without pressure, and free advice services can explain what is available to you, as our guide to your options relates. So you may be able to get some breathing space to sort things out. Using such time to take free advice and prepare a plan can help you approach your lender and your finances from a stronger position.
Keep paying what you can
Even if you cannot make the full payment, paying as much as you can shows your lender you are committed to resolving the situation, which helps your discussions and reduces how fast arrears build. So do not stop paying entirely if you can avoid it. Maintaining partial payments, alongside an agreed arrangement, demonstrates good faith and limits the arrears, both of which support keeping your home.
You are not alone
Many people face mortgage difficulties at some point, and there is no shame in seeking help; the free advice services exist precisely to support people in this situation, as our guide to protecting your payments relates. So reaching out for help is a positive, sensible step, not a failure. With early action, support from your lender, and free advice, many people work through arrears and keep their homes.
Acting early makes the difference
The single most important message is that acting early, as soon as you foresee or face difficulty, gives the most options and the best chance of a good outcome, as our guide to managing your mortgage relates. So do not wait for the situation to worsen. The sooner you engage with your lender and seek free advice, the more ways there are to help, and the easier it is to keep your home.
Take the first step
If you are worried, the first step is simply to reach out, to your lender and to a free advice service, who can help you understand your options and make a plan, as our guide to protecting your payments relates. So however daunting it feels, taking that first step is the most powerful thing you can do. Help is available, and many people work through mortgage difficulties and keep their homes by acting early.
Above all, remember that mortgage trouble is common, help is genuinely available, and the people you reach out to, your lender and the free advice charities, would far rather help you find a way through than see you lose your home.
In short
If you are struggling with your mortgage, do not ignore it: act early, contact your lender (who must treat you fairly), and discuss options like a term extension, temporary interest-only, or a payment arrangement. Get free advice from services such as StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice, MoneyHelper or Shelter, prepare a budget, and check any benefits or insurance. Repossession is a last resort, so early action gives the best chance of keeping your home.
Where to get help and next steps
Read our guides to mortgage protection insurance, when a deal ends, and your options with credit difficulties. This is general information, not debt, mortgage or financial advice; if you are struggling, please seek free advice from a service such as StepChange, National Debtline, Citizens Advice or MoneyHelper.