When times are tough it’s easy to bury your head in the sand and hope that your problems will disappear. I think it’s a temptation we all feel, but working as an adviser for Shelter’s helpline I hear from families every day who are facing a battle to stay in their homes. This means I know all too well why it’s so important to resist that ostrich effect - tackling your problems early can be the difference between losing your home and keeping it.
Recently I took a call from Louise, who contacted the Helpline because her hours at work had been reduced and as a result she was struggling to make ends meet. She was looking for a full time job but hadn't found one yet, and the stress was overwhelming. So far, Louise had left all of the letters from her Housing Association unopened because she just couldn’t face them, and was terrified that she and her children would be left homeless.
Her story is all too familiar. We read about economic growth in the papers, but I speak to families every day who are finding things tougher than ever. When soaring housing costs are combined with wage freezes and the rising cost of food and fuel, it's easy to see why so many are living on a knife-edge.
If that's you, or someone you know, you aren't alone. Research released by Shelter today, based on a survey of 4000 British adults, found that a staggering 70% of families are currently struggling or falling behind with their rent or mortgage payments. Like Louise, many of us feel hopeless - but I know the difference that facing your problems head on and seeking advice as early as possible can make.
Louise's landlord should only have been taking formal steps to evict her as a last resort - the place to start was to work out a payment plan. She had loans and credit cards to pay off, which – now that her salary had been cut - was eating up almost all of her money each month. I put her in touch with a debt adviser to help see if she could reduce the payments and free up some extra cash - rent or mortgage payments should always be the top priority over other bills to prevent people from losing their homes. Louise also assumed she couldn’t get any benefits because she still worked, so we talked about applying for Housing Benefit.
I suggested that Louise talk to her landlord about her situation and ask for a little time to sort things out. There can be all sorts of reasons for falling into arrears, and it’s easy for anyone to slip into a downward spiral following a job loss or illness. The key is to get help sooner rather than later. Have a look at our pages on dealing with rent arrears and be brave – open your letters, listen to your voicemails, check your text messages. More often than not, it isn’t too late.
If you have a mortgage, falling behind with payments can feel even scarier. For many struggling homeowners repossession feels like a foregone conclusion, but it doesn't have to be. In November I spoke to Anthony, who'd had to take time off work following a bout of depression and, as a result, started to fall behind on his mortgage payments. He had since returned to work but was still struggling to keep up and feared that he would lose the house he shared with his partner and their 1 month old baby.
Thankfully Antony came to us with enough time to make a difference. We were able to help the family negotiate with their lenders and ultimately keep their home through the mortgage rescue scheme. This meant that they had a stable place to spend Christmas and are hopeful that they will get back on track this year - it's happy endings like this that make my job really rewarding.
All of us are different, so the options and solutions are different too: but tackling things early really could save your home. All lenders know they can only take repossession action as a last resort, which means they should consider all the alternatives. Keeping your lender on side by contacting them as soon as you're at risk of slipping into arrears gives you the best possible chance of keeping your home.
My message to anyone who’s struggling to keep up with their rent or mortgage payments is that you’re not alone – I speak to families every day who are in the same situation, and coming to Shelter for help as soon as you get into difficulties can be the difference between losing your home and keeping it. Thankfully we are always here – either online, on the other end of the phone (0808 800 4444) or face to face at our advice centres.
So, if you’re falling into arrears, don't succumb to the 'ostrich effect' and bury your head in the sand; seek help straight away. Help from Shelter is available 365 days a year to make sure that no-one has to fight bad housing and homelessness on their own, and with our help it is possible to win the battle to stay in your home.
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70% of UK families struggle to pay rent or mortgage, or are already in arrears - but help is available
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MumsnetGuestBlogs · 03/01/2014 14:08
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