
Payment difficulties
We're here to help if you’ve missed a mortgage payment or you’re worried you will. We know it can be hard to talk about money, but the sooner you get in touch, the more time we’ll have to support you.
Let’s talk about your options
When you call us, our expert advisors will chat to you about your current situation and your budget. We’ll go through your options, making sure they work with your circumstances, are tailored to your needs and focus on what you can afford.
Together, we’ll come up with a solution that works for you. If you give us permission, we can also talk to someone close to you that you trust on your behalf too.

Short-term difficulties
If you're facing temporary challenges, like unemployment or short-term illness, we could offer support for a limited period through:
- Changing your mortgage product which could lower your monthly repayments.
- Reducing or stopping your payments for a little while. This will show as arrears on your credit records, and we’ll need to make an arrangement for you to repay the missed payments in the future.
- Moving you to an interest-only mortgage for a short time. This will reduce your payments, but you won’t be paying back any of the original amount borrowed which will need to be repaid in the future.
Longer-term difficulties
If you’re experiencing other challenges, maybe because of a relationship breakdown, a bereavement or a long-term illness, we can support you by:
- Changing your mortgage product which could lower your monthly repayments.
- Extending your mortgage term to lower your monthly repayments. You can always reduce your term again in the future.
- Treating the missed payments as if it was part of the original amount provided. You can then repay this over the remaining term of your mortgage.
How we can help if you can no longer afford your home
If you can no longer afford your home, our specialist team can support you. They’ll help you choose which of the options below is most suited to your needs. We could:
- Give you time to sell your property and hold off any action for now. We can also help you set up the sale of your property by appointing an estate agent while you can stay in control of the property sale.
- Look to see if it’s appropriate to waive any interest or capital to help support your position.


Get in touch
Calling us to talk about your options doesn’t mean we make notes on your credit file. We’ll only do this if we make an arrangement, depending on what it is. You can call us on 0800 121 8899 Monday to Friday 8am-7pm or Saturday 9am-2pm.
It’s important to note that any arrears will be reported, which is why it’s always good to get in touch early.
Alternative ways to get in touch
Want to speak to us but would prefer something different to giving us a call? We have a few different options for you:
- Visit one of our branches
- Write to us
- Or visit relay UK for support on a call.
Start budgeting with our interactive tool
Budgeting is when you make a list of the money you have coming in and out of your account each month. It’s a really helpful process as it could show you where you could cut some costs for the time being.
You could get started with our handy budgeting tool called Paylink*. All you need is your bank statements, payslips, and anything else that’ll help you work out how much money is coming in and going out. It can also get information from your credit data to make the process easier (this is optional and won’t show up on your credit record).
You can go through Paylink at your own pace but should take around 10-15 minutes to complete. When you get to the end, you can share your budget with us (we’ll call you once we have reviewed it) and keep a copy, in case you’d like to share with anyone else. And remember, you can always give us a call to work through it together if you get stuck.
If you'd prefer, you could also just fill in a simple budget planner form instead and discuss this with us.

Further useful information
Making an arrangement
We’ll always do our best to support you
But we can only help when we understand what’s causing your problems, how long it’s likely to last, and what your budget situation is at the moment. The cost of living may be one factor, or it could be one of a few.
If you’ve used our Paylink budget tool, we’ll be able to see that information on our systems. If not, we’ll gather this information over the phone. The more information you have to hand (like bank statements and pay slips), the better. As soon as we’ve got a clear picture of your circumstances, we’ll discuss your options with you.
Please don’t cancel your mortgage payment until we’ve spoken to you. Missed payments will affect your credit rating and you could be charged fees for any letters we have to send about your unpaid direct debit. So it’s important we come up with a plan together as quickly as possible to avoid this happening.
Getting some more help
If you’ve got other credit commitments (for example, unsecured personal loans or credit cards), talking to each creditor separately — and going over the same information with each of them — can take up a lot of time.
Independent and impartial Free Debt Advice organisations can do some of this work for you. They’ll go through your situation, and discuss your budget and what you owe, so they can make a plan with your creditors. They can also make sure you’re getting any benefits you might be entitled to.
All of these organisations have lots of information on their websites. They’re all regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, so you know you’re dealing with the right people to help you:
These organisations do not work for us or any other Lender and will advise based on what is best for you.
PayPlan also provide this self help guide BudgetSmart where you can find routes to support for many of your regular bills along with ways you can potentially increase or access benefits you may be entitled to.
Do you have an income protection policy?
Check any income protection policies you might have, as these could help your situation.
Paylink
Try our interactive budget tool, Paylink, which will walk you through the budget process. It should take around 10-15 minutes to complete but you can go at your own pace. It can also get information from your credit data to make the process easier (don’t worry - this won’t show up on your credit record and is optional).
You can stop and start whenever you like, and give us a call on 0800 121 8899 if you get stuck. When you get to the end, you can share your budget with us (we’ll call you once we have reviewed it) and also keep a copy to share with anyone else you need to.
If you’d prefer to just fill in a simple budget planner form instead, we’ve included one here.
PayPlan
Read our payment difficulty FAQs for more information

Need help?
Call us to discuss your needs with our award winning customer service.
Call us on
0800 121 6162
Saturday
Sunday
Bank holidays
9am - 2pm
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