If you are in arrears with your rent or mortgage it is really important for you to take action. You should not ignore the problem. It will not go away. It is important to get expert advice as soon as possible.

Click here to find a list of organisations that can provide expert help.

You can often avoid any court action being taken by acting early. If you do not want to go to a solicitor or advice agency for help, then contact your landlord or mortgage company and talk to them about the problems that you are having. They can usually help you.

If you live in privately rented or housing association accommodation, it is especially important for you to take action early on. It is often possible for your landlord to get possession of your home if you are in arrears equivalent to only two months rent. If these cases come to court, the law means that the District Judge will usually have to give the landlord possession of your home.

If you are having problems paying your rent because of problems with your Housing Benefit, you should take advice from a local independent advice agency.

Click here to find a list of organisations that can provide expert help.

If you are not a Local Authority tenant and have made a claim for Housing Benefit at least 14 days ago, and you are waiting for a payment, the law says that the Housing Benefit office have to make a payment (called an ‘interim payment’ or ‘a payment on account’) once they have had all the information they need to process your claim. You should not be refused an interim payment if you have a good reason for not being able to supply all the information that the Housing Benefit office have asked for. You should contact your local Housing Benefit office to apply for an interim payment. You can download a letter (Microsoft Word document) that you can use to send to your Housing Benefit office here. If the Housing Benefit office will not make you an interim payment you should contact an independent advice agency for help.

You may have had difficulty paying your rent or mortgage because you have other debts such as credit cards or catalogue debt. It is important to remember that most other debts do not put your home at risk, and you should make paying your rent or mortgage a priority. You should take advice from an experienced money adviser. They can usually help you to reduce what you are paying towards your debts, and may be able to get interest payments frozen to stop the debt from increasing.