Here’s how to keep a roof above your head

back on track. Read my Mortgage Survival Guide to find out how: Step 1: Contact your lender Most will be keen to help and will talk through your options. They must make reasonable attempts to reach an agreement with you, including considering whether to change the way you make payments and when you make them.

If you fall into arrears your lender must:

List all the payments which you have missed

Tell you the total sum of your arrears

Tell you the amount of any charges incurred because of payments that have been missed.

Tell you the exact amount that is outstanding under your mortgage

Give you reasonable time to make good any shortfall in payments

Tell you the likely charges in future if the arrears are not cleared

Always remember your lender cannot seek repossession unless all other reasonable attempts to resolve the situation have failed. They must also give you reasonable notice before taking any action to do so. also called accident, sickness and unemployment insurance, can help with your mortgage repayments if your income has fallen because of redundancy, accident or sickness.

You may have taken it out when you got your mortgage, so look through your mortgage paperwork and double check with your lender or broker.

Step 3 – Cut your costs