Financial difficulties - Rosolite

Payment difficulties

 

If you’re behind with your mortgage payments or worried that you may struggle in the future, please contact us as soon as possible. Simply getting in touch won’t affect your credit file. Talking to us earlier means there may be more ways in which we can help.

We have a lot of experience helping customers who are having difficulties making payments and we’re keen to help in any way we can.

The information detailed in the list below explains more about how we can support you and outlines some steps we ask you to take to help manage your circumstances.

If you’re struggling to make your payments, please:

  • Contact us. We can offer support that takes account of your individual needs and circumstances. Where appropriate, this could include agreeing a period of fully or partially reduced payments.
  • Contact MoneyHelper (formerly the Money Advice Service). It’ s an independent, government backed service that can help people find a way forward with their finances, whether it’s living on a squeezed income, working out how to prioritise bills and payments, or accessing free, expert debt advice.

Cost of living support

We understand that the rising cost of living may be putting a strain on your finances and making it difficult to maintain your payments. We also appreciate that, for some people, this may be the first time that they have experienced such financial difficulties.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has launched a cost of living support campaign entitled Help for Households.

Its website contains information in relation to:

  • Income support – where you can find out what benefits and financial support you may be able to get.
  • Energy saving tips – things you can do at home to reduce the amount of energy you use and save money.
  • Help with childcare costs – where you can check eligibility for a certain number of hours of free childcare, whether you’re able to claim back childcare costs already paid for and/or apply for free school meals / national breakfast clubs.
  • Housing support – where you can find more information about the Government’s Cost of Living payments, council tax support, housing benefit support and help with water, phone and broadband bills.
  • Help with transport – which outlines what support options exist when using public transport.
  • Help finding work – where you can search and apply for jobs across a range of industries across the UK through the Government’s Find a Job website.

It also lists discounts and offers that are available from businesses that are looking to help with the cost of living.

If you’re worried about the rising cost of living, you’re not alone.

Our partners PayPlan have developed BudgetSmart to help. You can use it to look at what you may be struggling to afford and use the tools and tips provided to help you cut costs.

It has information and tips covering car and home insurance, food, clothes and shoes, utility bills and much more. BudgetSmart could help you save money.

There’s also a benefits calculator you can use to check if you may be missing out on anything you’re entitled to.

Our regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the advice agency MoneyHelper have conducted research that revealed many customers aren’t accessing support or advice that’s available to them. You can read more about what they found by clicking here.

Support from Rosolite

If you miss a payment:

  • We’ll contact you in writing, to summarise the position of your account and outline what support we may be able to offer when you contact us.
  • We’ll try to contact you by phone to discuss and understand your circumstances and plan a way to pay any arrears on your account.
  • We may send you text messages, if we have your mobile number, to signpost you to our online services and to ask you to contact us.
  • We’ll ask questions to understand the extent of your financial difficulties, which may include you completing an income and expenditure form so that we can better understand your financial situation.
  • We may discuss various short term and long term options with you, to agree a suitable payment arrangement to pay any arrears. We’ll always consider your individual circumstances.
  • We’ll give you a reasonable amount of time to consider the various options to pay the arrears.
  • We may refer you to sources of free, confidential and impartial advice, which could be helpful, especially if you have debts with other providers.
  • We’ll review your circumstances and payment arrangement at regular intervals to ensure it remains appropriate for you.

  • Contact us, as soon as possible. If you’re having problems paying your mortgage or if you think you’ll experience problems in the future, don’t wait to contact us – you can tell us before you miss a payment.
  • Tell us how we can help. Let us know, as soon as possible, if there is anything that we need to be aware of, or consider, when administering your account. This may include any specific issues you are facing that are causing your payment difficulties or that may be impacting your ability to communicate with us regarding your account.
  • Respond promptly to our calls and letters. Speaking to us early means there may be more ways we can help.
  • Check for insurance. If you have an insurance policy such as payment protection, check whether it would help with your payments.
  • Provide us with accurate income and expenditure information. You may find it useful to refer to your bank statements to ensure the information you provide is accurate.
  • Keep to any temporary payment plan we may agree with you to clear or reduce your arrears. Unless you experience a further change in circumstances, in which case please let us know as soon as possible.
  • Let us know if your situation changes. We can revisit any temporary payment plan if changes in your circumstances mean it’s no longer suitable for you.
  • Tell us if you move to a new address. Provide us with your new address and, if applicable, an up-to-date phone number to make it easier to contact you.

In addition, you may find it helpful to:

  • Talk to someone as soon as you can. We’re always here to help, even before you miss a payment. Alternatively, make use of free debt advice or talk to your family or friends.
  • Work out your debts by writing down everything that you owe.
  • Prioritise your debts – taking independent, free debt advice can help you work out how best to do this.
  • Consider the long-term impacts of using credit and shop around for affordable credit.
  • Set a budget – The budget planner on the MoneyHelper website can help you do this.

If you’re worried about money or debts, you need to set a realistic budget. Make a list of your debts and work out which ones are highest priority, and which are less important. For most people, it makes sense to pay essential expenses and priority debts before any discretionary expenses or non-priority debts.

MoneyHelper (formerly the Money Advice Service) has developed a Money Navigator tool, designed to help people whose finances are being impacted by ‘income shocks’, such as those facing redundancy, self-employed or freelance workers whose income has been reduced, and people who have experienced any other temporary drop in their income.

The tool will also help users find support from other organisations such as National Debtline, Citizens Advice, PayPlan, StepChange and others.

You can also find out what services are available across the UK, including what face to face support is available in your local area using MoneyHelper’s Debt Advice Locator tool.

The StepChange debt charity has also published a reduced income guide to help people with a reduced income deal with their finances. We recommend you read this and take appropriate action sooner rather than later.

If you’ve missed any monthly payments and you’re unable to make a payment to clear your arrears, we’ll need to better understand your circumstances to work out how me may be able to support you.

You can take the first step by providing us with details of your income and expenditure online. You can register or sign in and use our online affordability tool here. This will take you to a third party website where you can securely input your details which we can then access.

We’ll need details of your current net income (after any deductions like tax or National Insurance), your expenditure and any other outgoings you have. You may find it useful to have your bank statements, wage slips and utility bills to hand when you sign in.

After you’ve completed the form and submitted your details, we’ll review the information you’ve provided, and we’ll be in touch within five working days to discuss how we may be able to help.

If you prefer, you can call us to provide your income and expenditure details over the phone or to ask for a printed copy of our income and expenditure form to the posted to you.

Perhaps you are having trouble making your monthly payment because your chosen payment method is no longer suitable. Please see our Making Your Monthly Payment page for information about all the different ways to make your monthly payments, including our Online Self-Serve facility.

If you’re struggling to make your payments because you’ve become unemployed, check whether you are entitled to any state benefits or tax credits which could help to increase your income.

If you need support with this, see the Benefits Advice content within our Free, Confidential & Impartial Advice section here.

Additionally, if you have an accident, sickness or unemployment insurance policy in place, check whether it would help with your payments.

If you believe your payment difficulties won’t be resolved in the short term and that you won’t be able to continue with your monthly payments or reduce or clear your arrears, then we still may be able to help.

We may agree to you remaining in the property whilst you look for a longer term solution, such as selling it. Such an agreement would be dependent on your circumstances, and we would require a full understanding of your long term proposals in order to consider this solution.

If your property is currently on the market, or you’ve submitted a claim under an accident, sickness or unemployment insurance policy you must call us to let us know the details. If we agree not to instruct a solicitor to begin repossession proceedings, we’ll require regular updates on the progress of any sale or claim.

We would also recommend you seek independent advice when considering longer term solutions to ensure that what you are considering is in your best interests.

We’ll always provide a reasonable amount of time for you to repay your arrears. If you can’t clear your arrears in a single payment, but can make monthly contributions towards them, we may be able to agree a temporary payment plan with you. We’ll take account of your circumstances and, where possible, agree a payment method and frequency (weekly or monthly) that best suits your situation.

We’ll assess your circumstances by asking you to provide income and expenditure information, which can be completed online here. You may find it useful to have your bank statements available to ensure the information you provide is accurate.

 

Free, confidential and impartial advice

You may want to discuss your situation with a professional adviser, such as a debt advisor or a lawyer. We’ve provided details below of some independent organisations that may help you find the free, confidential and impartial advice you need:

PayPlan

PayPlan can help if you’re struggling with multiple debts. They provide 100% free, confidential debt advice and support either online or over the phone.

One of their specialists will look at your monthly income and outgoings and who you owe money to. They’ll work out what you can afford and what options are available to help you feel more in control of your finances.

Visit their website to take the first steps toward getting a personalised action plan for your money.

 

MoneyHelper

MoneyHelper (formerly the Money Advice Service) provide free, clear and unbiased advice to help you make the most of your money. Call them on 0800 138 7777.

Alternatively, you can visit the MoneyHelper website which provides alternative contact methods including webchat.

You can also find out what services are available across the UK, including what face to face support is available in your local area using the Debt Advice Locator.

 

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice offer free, confidential and impartial advice on legal, money and other problems.

Citizens Advice also provide the opportunity for face to face advice through their local advice centres.

For online information or to find your local advice centre visit their website and select England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from the options presented.

 

StepChange Debt Charity

StepChange is a registered charity offering free, confidential advice and support to anyone who is worried about debt. Its online debt counselling tool provides you with advice tailored to your individual circumstances.

If you feel that you need some expert guidance, you can contact StepChange on 0800 138 1111. Its website also allows you to contact them by e-mail and an option to receive debt advice online.

All advice and recommendations are backed by 15 years’ experience and knowledge gained by StepChange counsellors. You don’t have to give your name and the StepChange service is totally free.

If you are experiencing severe financial difficulties and you owe money to several creditors, then StepChange may be able to assist and advise you. StepChange has also published a reduced income guide to help people with a reduced income deal with their finances. We recommend you read this and take any action you need to sooner rather than later.

 

National Debtline

National Debtline is a debt advice charity run by the Money Advice Trust.

They offer a free and confidential debt advice service for people in England, Wales and Scotland – and have helped millions to deal with their debts.

You can call them, use webchat or their Digital Advice Tool to get free advice. Visit their website for more information.

 

Business Debtline

Business Debtline offers free, confidential and independent advice for self-employed people and small businesses in England, Wales and Scotland.

Visit their website or call them on 0800 197 6026.

Breathing Space is a government scheme that allows applicants time to receive advice about their debts (including mortgage arrears) and find a solution to their debt problems.

In a Breathing Space most creditors will freeze interest and stop all collection and enforcement action for a period of 60 days. However, the scheme is not available to everyone – customers can only apply for Breathing Space through a debt adviser.

For more information about the scheme, please follow one of the links below to a free and independent advice agency:

If you’re facing repossession of your home because a solution cannot be reached to resolve your arrears, the following organisations can provide advice.

 

Shelter

Shelter can offer you free, impartial and confidential advice through a dedicated homeowner helpline on 0300 3300 515.

For more general housing advice, call Shelter’s free housing advice helpline on 0808 800 4444; or you can find details of your local advice centre via their website.

 

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice offer free, confidential and impartial advice on legal, money and other problems.

Citizens Advice also provide the opportunity for face to face advice through their local advice centres.

For online information or to find your local advice centre visit their website and select England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from the options presented.

 

Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service

The Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service is a government-provided service that offers free legal advice to customers who have received written notice that their lender is seeking possession of their home. A housing expert will speak with you to explain the options available and why you might be at risk of losing your home. If you are required to attend a court hearing they may be able to represent you.

The housing expert may be able to provide free legal advice on a number of topics including;

  • Mortgage arrears
  • Debt concerns
  • Issues with welfare benefit payments
  • Disrepair and other problems with housing conditions

You can find out more and search for your nearest housing expert at gov.uk/get-housing-loss-advice

If your financial difficulties are the result of losing your job or being made redundant, there are many organisations that can help you to be in the best possible position when looking for a new job.

Additionally, the Government set up a Find a Job service to help people to search and apply for jobs. Their website also provides links to related pages for out of work benefits.

Millions of pounds worth of benefits go unclaimed every year, so make sure you are receiving what you are entitled to. Benefits can be claimed for several reasons for example:

  • sickness or disability
  • unemployment
  • caring for someone
  • being aged 60 or over
  • after a bereavement
  • pregnancy or if you’ve recently had a baby
  • if you’re a family with dependent children.

A quick and easy way to find out what you can claim can be found at:

Gov.uk – All public services in one place including information on benefits.

Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) – UK Government department responsible for welfare and employment issues.

Entitled To – Use this website to find out what benefits you may be able to claim.

Please note, this page contains links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content of external websites.

Was this page useful?

Yes
No
Thanks for your feedback!