There are many reasons why people might experience financial hardship - unemployment, illness, relationship breakdown, a new baby, an unexpected rise in interest rates.
If you do have difficulty paying your mortgage, rent or other bills, it's essential to contact the person you owe money to as soon as possible and explain your difficulty. They may allow you to defer payment or to pay in instalments if you contact them promptly. Don't leave letters unopened or ignore the problem until it's too late. Your home is at risk if you do not keep up rent or mortgage payments.
If you contact us early enough we may be able to help in cases of financial difficulty. In some circumstances, we may be allow you to sell a share of your property back to us and negotiate with your building society to avoid repossession.
You may be eligible for certain types of benefit to meet your housing costs; for example, you may be able to get housing benefit to help with your rent payments even if you are a shared owner. Your local Jobcentre Plus can advise you on your benefits entitlement.
