I can’t moan about the persistent rain, so far all my family has had to endure is endless cancelled football matches and a brimming cess pit – which I won’t go into.

The news is full of whole communities, cut off from their homes and businesses, clearly spending their time trying to save their homes and possessions rather than popping off to work as usual.

Besides the obvious problem of claiming on insurance for flood damage, it got me thinking, how are these people going to cope with their loss of earnings? If they were ill they would at least get something, but as far as I know “Can’t get to work because there is a river downstairs in my house,” won’t get a pay-out from anyone.

Thankfully, some banks have announced a range of support for flood victims; Santander said it would offer free overdraft extensions and mortgage payment holidays to customers who have been affected by the flooding. Last week The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) group - which includes NatWest announced that RBS and NatWest mortgage customers with flooded homes will be able to apply for a three month mortgage repayment holiday.

Hopefully by the time this article has been printed, other lenders will have come out in sympathy with the thousands of families battling short-term financial difficulties as they work to recover from the floods.

I would urge anyone having trouble paying their loan (for any reason) to contact their mortgage provider. There are a number of steps they can take to help including payment holidays, accepting interest only or reduced payments for a period of time. The key is to keep the dialogue going, so please contact them as soon as you can. And to anyone who has been affected by the recent flooding – may I wish you the very best of luck with the recovery operation!

For more information contact us on 01628 507477.

 

Recent posts

Leaseholder   Web Larger

Housing Secretary Angela Rayner has announced a new measure to protect leaseholders in England and Wales from high fees and poorly regulated property management companies.

Your First Home   Web Larger

Saturday 26th September, Andy Burnham announced a new equity loan scheme called “Your First Home”. The scheme, which will be confirmed at next month’s budget, is aimed at first-time buyers looking to purchase a new-build property from a developer signed up to the scheme.

lost job web larger

Losing your job or finding yourself ‘between jobs’ is, unsurprisingly, a stressful place to be. Keeping a cool head and taking action is important.

Deals of week web larger

Here are the lowest fixed mortgage rates of the week, available to first-time buyers, home movers, buy-to-let, and those remortgaging.

Call us for more information: 01628 507477 or email: team@mortgagerequired.com.

Flats 40 Higher Than Houses   Web Larger

This price gap between the cost of houses and flats is the biggest it has ever been. Houses are now costing 1.7 times more than a flat, which is 0.4 times higher than 10 years ago

Take a look at our list of houses vs. flats per area.

Are Rates Increasing   Web Larger

We have seen several lenders increase their mortgage rates over the last couple of weeks. This suggests mortgage rates are likely to rise.

Although nothing is set in stone, lender repricing, rising swap rates, and continued economic uncertainty suggest borrowers should prepare for higher mortgage costs.

Ai Enhanced Images   Web Larger

According to data from House Buyer Bureau, where over 900 UK homebuyers were surveyed, 54% of people said that they immediately ruled out digitally enhanced property listings.

April Mortgages   Web Larger

April Mortgages - only accessed via a mortgage broker - offers first-time buyers, renters, and home-movers the option to borrow up to 7 times their income on its longer-term mortgages.