In order to help we first need to understand your individual circumstances. We will ask you about your finances such as your income and expenditure. So, it's good to have these details to hand when you contact us.

It may help to have a look at our budget planner to get an idea of the type of information that we will need from you.

Once we have a better picture of your circumstances we have a range of options available to help you get through your financial difficulties. These include repaying your arrears back over a number of months to suit your budget, or reconstruction of your current mortgage debt to a more affordable repayment schedule.

If none of our options are suitable we also participate in a number of Government support schemes that may help you, so please contact us if you are having payment difficulties as we may have an option to help you during this difficult time.

Although the sooner you contact us the sooner we can help, it's never too late.

If you are having trouble paying your mortgage we will always try to help you. The information in the following section sets out how we will treat you fairly, and the steps you can take to help yourself.

What we will do to help you

• Contact you as soon as possible to discuss your problem.
• Talk to an agency which gives debt advice (for example, Citizens Advice), if you want.
• Give you reasonable time to pay back the debt.
• Only start legal proceedings that may lead to repossession of your home if we cannot solve the problem with you.

• Arrange a new payment plan with you, taking your and our interests into account.
• Change the way you make your payments, or the date you make them.
• Allow you to pay back your loan over a longer period of time (which would reduce your monthly payments).

If we cannot offer you any of these options, we will tell you why. If we can make one of these arrangements with you, we will explain how it would work and give you time to consider it and advise you to seek independent advice. If we cannot offer any of these options, we might agree to you remaining in the property to sell the property yourself depending on your circumstances.

What you can do to help us

• Contact us as soon as possible if you are having problems repaying your mortgage or think that you might experience problems shortly.
• Seek debt advice if you would like help with managing your finances.
• Get back to us quickly if we try to contact you.
• Make sure you keep any other people paying the mortgage, and anyone guaranteeing the mortgage, up to date with what is happening.
• Keep to the payment plan we agree with you, or tell us if there is a change in your circumstances which may affect the arrangement. If you do not make the agreed payments, we might have to go to court to get back any money you owe us, or to repossess your property.
• Check whether you can get any state benefits or tax credits which could help to increase your income.
• If you have an insurance policy, check whether it would help with your payments.
• Tell us if you move to a new address or change your contact details.

You may want to talk to a professional adviser, such as a debt counsellor or a lawyer, before you change your mortgage arrangements. We would strongly advise that you seek independent, free, debt advice. This can be obtained from a range of non-profit organisations shown below.

Citizens Advice Bureau
The Citizens Advice service helps people resolve their legal, financial and other problems by providing free information and advice. They can offer advice face-to-face or over the telephone.

Citizens Advice Scotland
Citizens Advice Scotland have been providing advice and information to the Scottish public for over 60 years. They offer a free, confidential, impartial and independent service and have a specific Debt Advice section.

Consumer Credit Counselling Service
The Consumer Credit Counselling Service is a registered charity whose purpose is to assist people who are in financial difficulty by providing free, independent, impartial and realistic advice. Visit their website or call their helpline: 0800 138 1111.

National Debtline
National Debtline is a national telephone helpline for people with debt problems in England, Wales and Scotland. The service is free, confidential and independent. There is a website for people in England & Wales and a separate site for those in Scotland. The central helpline number is 0808 808 4000.

• We may send a field agent to see you to discuss your financial circumstances in the process of finding a suitable solution. The cost of the visit may be charged to your mortgage account.
• We may go to court to start proceedings to repossess your home. If proceedings take place, we strongly recommend that you attend the court and that you seek independent debt advice. Starting court proceedings does not necessarily mean that we will repossess your home.
• We will keep trying to solve the problem with you. Repossession is the last resort.
• Before we repossess your home, we will give you advice about getting in touch with your local authority to see if they can find you somewhere else to live.

What happens if we repossess your home

• We will sell it for the best price we can reasonably get. We will try to sell it as soon as possible.
• We will give you reasonable time to take your possessions from your home.
• We will use the money raised from selling your home to pay your mortgage and any other loans or charges secured against your property. If there is any money left over, we will pay it to you unless it's a Buy-to-Let mortgage and you have other mortgages with us.

Shortfall debt

• If there is not enough money from the sale of your home to pay the whole mortgage, you will still owe us the amount that is left (a shortfall debt). We will tell you what this amount is as soon as possible.
• If you bought your home with other borrowers, each of you is responsible for all the money borrowed. This is true even if you normally only pay part of the mortgage.
• We will contact you within six years of selling your property (five years in Scotland) to arrange for you to pay back what you still owe.
• We will take account of your income and outgoings when we arrange a payment plan for this shortfall debt with you. But if we cannot arrange a suitable plan, we may go to court to get our money back. You might have to pay additional court costs. If a shortfall debt is not paid, it could affect whether you are able to get credit in future.