West Lothian Council delivers

Help for struggling homeowners

 

If you are struggling to pay your mortgage repayments take action now.  Contact your lender and explain the situation they may help you to reduce or temporarily suspend your payments. West Lothian Council's Advice Shop and the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) West Lothian are offering free advice to anyone facing difficulties making payments, especially with the increase in 'sale to rent' schemes.  And you may be elligible for assistance with your interest payments.

Getting help to make your mortgage interest payments: Homeowners on certain benefits may be able to get help towards mortgage interest payments called Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI). Find out if you are eligible, how to claim SMI and what extra help is available during the economic downturn.

SIM: You may get help with mortgage interest payments as part of your benefits if you are a homeowner and are eligible for certain benefits, such as: Income Support
income-based Jobseeker's Allowance; income-related Employment and Support Allowance; and Pension Credit.

You'll only get help towards mortgage interest payments for a mortgage or loan to buy or improve your home. It's normally paid directly to your lender. There's no guarantee that you'll get SMI for a loan you take out.

• Income Support (new window)
• Jobseeker's Allowance (new window)
• Employment and Support Allowance (disabled people section) (new window)
• Pension Credit (pensions and retirement planning section) (new window)
  

SMI isn't available to help you pay the amount you borrowed (only the interest on the mortgage is paid), anything towards insurance policies you may have or mortgage arrears. For help claiming SMI and getting your questions answered contact Jobcentre Plus or The Pension Service
Contact Jobcentre Plus or The Pension Service to:

There are some conditions that apply to most claims for help with your mortgage interest made since 5 January 2009: you wait 13 weeks from the date you claim before you get SMI (this is known as a waiting period and was previously 39 or 26 weeks).  You?ll be able to claim for mortgage interest on up to £200,000 of your mortgage (this was previously £100,000) and if you: claimed Jobseeker's Allowance on or after 5 January 2009 you?ll be paid SMI for two years only and if you are waiting to get SMI under the old conditions on 4 January 2009, you'll be eligible for the temporary extra help.

Sale to Rent schemes: A number of companies are claiming to offer homeowners the opportunity to sell their home and then rent it back, with the chance to buy it again when their finances improve. However such schemes can involve homeowners being offered below market price for their property then have to pay the full price to buy it back later, or only receiving a short term assured tenancy.  The advice is clear to anyone facing difficulty meeting their mortgage payments and considering a 'sale for rent' scheme - fully explore your options before entering any agreement.

The CAB and the Advice Shop offer free, confidential and impartial advice on a range of issues, including housing and financial help, making them the ideal place to go if you are facing financial difficulty.  CAB can also help in other areas such as welfare benefits, legal issues, employment and consumer concerns, as well as form and application-filling. Anyone can contact them at their office in Sheil House, Craigshill, Livingston, telephone 01506 432977, or email enquiries@cabwestlothian.org.uk.  The free confidential service can help homeowners by exploring a range of alternative schemes, such as mortgage to rent, to find the right choice for them.

Advice for homeowners living in tenements: Homeowners living in tenements and tower blocks across Scotland are being encouraged to get to grips with their rights and responsibilities when it comes to organising common repairs and maintenance. Many people run into difficulties when trying to coordinate and organise repairs between neighbours, landlords and tenants, meaning that tenements and tower blocks are often in a worse state of disrepair than houses. To help owners understand their responsibilities and the law on repairs and maintenance to tenements, Consumer Focus Scotland has published the 2nd edition of the Common Repair, Common Sense guide that includes the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 which is currently being rolled out across local authorities. The guide is available on-line at www.consumerfocus-scotland.org.uk .  Hard copies can be ordered by calling Consumer Focus Scotland on 0141 226 5261 or emailing mail@consumerfocus-scotland.org.uk.

Email advice.shop@westlothian.gov.uk.

Updated: 31/08/11