Help with Mortgage payments

morgansmummy1809

Hello,
I am looking for some help for my mum. She is 60 and recieves state pension, she has recently stopped working and can no longer afford to pay her mortgage.
She gets about 500 pounds coming in per month and her mortgage alone is 450 a month so she is struggling and behind on her payments.
I have read that you can get help with your mortgage if you recieve IS but you can only claim IS if you are under 60. So is there any other help that she can get.

Thanks

zappster1966

Income Support only covers folks up to their 60th birthday. After that that they can claim "Pension Credit" & it's through that benefit that your Mum might be able to get help with the interest on her mortgage.

Take a look here ...
http://www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pensioncredit/

colin13

if ur mum has a repayment morgage,,I dont think she will get help,, As stated above u only get help with the intrest on ur morgage

SuziQ

Also mortgage interest relief is only applied after 39 weeks except in certain circumstances.I have never understood why people can get immediate help with rent-which is often a much greater amount of money than a mortgage-but the govt would rather those with mortgages get reposessed it seems. I suppose they think that if you have any equity it will take you out of the benefit system for a while-but then if you ended up claiming houising benefit subsequently whats the point,plus the emotional stress is an awful thing for families and individuals to suffer.

I sympathise as I am in arrears at the moment,am not able to go back to work yet as I am awaiting surgery and can't get help until next feb! That will mean myself and 3 children (1 of whom is special needs) could be homeless if Abbey decide to go for reposession,so far they have been unbelievably patient but I fear that won't last much longer!

zappster1966

Those over 60 years of age & qualifying for Pension Credit get help with their mortgage interest immediately. There's no waiting period. Different rules for those under 60, unfortunately.

SuziQ

zappster1966 wrote: »

Those over 60 years of age & qualifying for Pension Credit get help with their mortgage interest immediately. There's no waiting period. Different rules for those under 60, unfortunately.

I'm glad to hear that,at least some are getting help!

suelees1

Even without including any help with mortgage payments, the law says she needs 124.05 pw to live on. If she's entitled to help towards her mortgage this is added on top of this. So if she gets less tell her to claim Pension Credit immediately. She can make a claim over the phone by ringing 0800 99 1234. Any claim before 6th October means she will get any entitlement backdated for up to 52 weeks. If she leaves it until the 6th October or later the backdating is reduced to 3 months because of a change in the regs.

[Deleted User]

SuziQ wrote: »

Also mortgage interest relief is only applied after 39 weeks except in certain circumstances.I have never understood why people can get immediate help with rent-which is often a much greater amount of money than a mortgage-but the govt would rather those with mortgages get reposessed it seems. I suppose they think that if you have any equity it will take you out of the benefit system for a while-but then if you ended up claiming houising benefit subsequently whats the point,plus the emotional stress is an awful thing for families and individuals to suffer.

I sympathise as I am in arrears at the moment,am not able to go back to work yet as I am awaiting surgery and can't get help until next feb! That will mean myself and 3 children (1 of whom is special needs) could be homeless if Abbey decide to go for reposession,so far they have been unbelievably patient but I fear that won't last much longer!

From april next year the 39 weeks will become 13,which will be good news then but no help now,I do agree that its most unfair that housing benefit/LHA is almost from day one,I hope Abbey continue to be patient,have you asked then to extend the length of the mortgage say back to 25 years?or for interest only for a decent period,or even for a payment holiday for a few months?