We know this is a difficult time and we are here to help.
You’ll find help and support on this page to help you manage your mortgage during the coronavirus outbreak.
Help with your mortgage
When you ask to stop paying all of your monthly mortgage payment for a short period, we call this a ‘payment holiday’.
It can help if you have any changes to your situation, such as unexpected household costs or other changes to your income.
However, it’s important to remember that the amount you pay each month will go up after a payment holiday. This is to cover the payments and interest charges you’ll miss when you take a break, so you should only apply for one if you are finding it hard to keep up with your payments.
If the coronavirus has affected your income and you need some breathing space, a payment holiday or our other support options could help.
Find out more about how we can support you.
Back to topThis is where you pay less than your usual amount for up to 3 months.
Rather than taking a full payment holiday, where you make no payments at all, you agree to make a fixed, reduced payment. With this option, your monthly payment and the amount you pay back overall will be lower than if you take a full payment holiday.
Back to topWe know that some of our customers are anxious about being able to keep up with their mortgage payments at the moment. If the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak has had an impact on your ability to pay your mortgage, don't worry. We'll do everything we can to help you.
You can ask to take a payment holiday or part payment holiday, as long as you're no more than 6 months behind in your payments. If you are more than 6 months behind in your payments, call us as we have other ways to help
If you have a joint mortgage, all parties named on the account will need to agree to the payment holiday.
Back to topIf the coronavirus has affected your income and you need some breathing space, a payment holiday or a part payment holiday may help.
Find out more about the support we can offer and how to apply with our Covid-19 support tool.
Back to topIf you currently have a payment holiday in place and want to cancel it, you should complete our payment holiday cancellation form.
Please note that if your next mortgage payment would normally be due in the next 10 working days, then the payment holiday may not be cancelled until the following month. We will confirm in writing the date from which your payment holiday has been cancelled.
Back to topIf you find that you no longer need a part payment holiday, our online request form is the quickest way to cancel it. It’s easy to complete and should only take a couple of minutes.
Please note that if your mortgage payment is due in the next 10 working days, then the part payment holiday may not be cancelled until the following month. We will confirm in writing the date from which your part payment holiday has been cancelled.
Back to topIf you can no longer afford to keep up with your part payment holiday payments, you might be able to switch to a full payment holiday to defer all of your monthly payment for up to 3 months. To do this first you must cancel your part payment holiday. The quickest way to do this is by using our online request form. As soon as you have submitted the cancellation request then you can apply for a full payment holiday through our COVID-19 support tool.
Please note that if your mortgage payment is due in the next 10 working days, then the switch to a full payment holiday may not take effect until the following month. Once you’ve applied for your full payment holiday, we will write to you to confirm the start date.
Back to topIf you want to change the amount you pay with your part payment holiday, you can do this by applying for a new part payment holiday through our COVID-19 support tool. Once in place, the new amount will simply replace your existing one.
Please note that if your mortgage payment is due in the next 10 working days, the new amount may not take effect until the following month. Once you’ve applied for your new part payment holiday, we will write to you to confirm the date that the new amount will start.
If you can afford to pay more but don’t want to change the agreed fixed amount you pay, you can make one-off or regular overpayments to your mortgage. This will help reduce interest changes over the term of your mortgage.
Back to topNo, you don’t. When you agree that you can take a payment holiday we’ll stop collecting your payments. It’s important that you don't cancel your Direct Debit so we can start collecting payments again when your payment holiday ends. If you cancel your Direct Debit we won’t be able to take payment and your account may fall into arrears.
If you have cancelled your Direct Debit, please use our online form to ask us to set it back up for you, using the same bank details as before.
If you want to change the date you pay, or the account you pay from, you'll need to call us.
If you pay by standing order, you’ll need to restart your monthly payments before the next one is due. It’s important to remember to do this to make sure your account doesn’t fall into arrears.
Back to topWhen your payment holiday ends, the amount you pay each month will go up. If you’ve taken a part payment holiday it will still increase but not by as much. This increase is to cover the interest charges and payments you miss while you take a break or make reduced payments.
We will contact you before the end of your payment holiday or part payment holiday to explain all the ways we can help if your income is still affected by coronavirus. In the meantime, our COVID –19 Support Tool will show you all the ways we can help.
Back to topPayment holidays will not have a negative impact on your credit file. However, you should remember that lenders may use information obtained from other sources, such as bank account information, in their lending decisions.
Back to topDon't worry. Just let us know as soon as you can and we'll do everything we can to help you, until things get back to normal.
If you're already behind with your mortgage payments, please call us. We are currently dealing with a higher volume of calls than usual as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. You may have to wait longer than usual to talk to us on the phone.
Back to topIf you don’t qualify for a payment holiday, or feel that a payment holiday isn’t right for you, there are other options that you can consider, including:
• Switching your existing deal if you’re eligible
• Changing the term of your mortgage
• If you've made overpayments, you could ask to underpay for a while, rather than take a payment holiday. You'll need to call us before you underpay.
We have a number of other ways of helping too, so don't worry. Find out more about our support options.
Back to topIf you’ve asked us to extend the term of your mortgage but you have changed your mind, our online cancellation form is the quickest way to cancel it. It’s easy to complete and should only take a couple of minutes.
If we’ve confirmed your term extension but it hasn’t started yet, you can still cancel it using our online form.
We’ll cancel your term extension from the next month, but we might not be able to cancel it before your next payment is due. We will write to you to confirm your new monthly payment amount and the date it will be effective from. This could be different to the amount we originally gave you, as we’ve worked it out using the latest balance.
Back to topYes, you can. If you've made any overpayments in the past 12 months, you could ask to underpay for a while, rather than take a payment holiday. You'll need to call us before you underpay.
Yes you can, if you're eligible. However, you should consider your options carefully before taking out extra borrowing against your home.
If you're confident that borrowing more against your home is the best move, you can find out if you're eligible in a couple of minutes.
Please note, if there has been a reduction or stop in your income because of coronavirus, we'll need to review your circumstances before we can agree to lend you extra money on your current mortgage.
You can see all the ways we can help you if you've been affected by coronavirus on our help pages.
We've also put together some guides to help you manage your money.
While our branch and telephone advisers are busy helping customers with their enquiries about coronavirus, it's quickest to switch deals online. This is the best option if you're happy to choose your own deal.
If you'd like some help choosing your next deal, you can ask us to call you back and we'll help you to apply over the phone or by video appointment.
If you think you may struggle to repay your full interest-only balance, let us know as soon as possible. You could be a few years from the end of your mortgage term, maybe just a few months, or even already past the end of your term. However long you have left, the sooner you get in touch, the more solutions you may have.
If you are using the sale of a property to repay your mortgage, you should give yourself enough time to market and sell the property before the term ends. You may need at least 12 months to market your property to allow time for the sale to go through. If you have any concerns about selling your property, let us know as soon as possible.
One option available to residential interest only customers (not applicable to Buy To Let mortgages) whose mortgage term ends between 20th March 2020 and the 31st October 2021, is to delay repaying the full amount until up to 31st Oct 2021.
If your term ends between these dates and you want to discuss this option, call us on the number below
Please note: If you have missed any payments without our agreement and your account is not up to date, you will not qualify. If you do take the option to delay the repayment of your mortgage, we’ll continue to collect your monthly payments and charge interest until you pay the amount you owe. You can repay at any time before 31st October 2021 and the sooner you do, the less interest you’ll pay.
Every day we help customers make plans. We can help you decide what works best for you. Check what information is available to you online or you can call us on 0345 609 8953. Our lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm.
Back to topFollowing changes in Government legislation, we’re now able to do physical property valuations again. This is when a professional surveyor carries out a valuation on the property in person.
We’ll get in touch with you, or the current property owner, to arrange an inspection if we decide we need to visit the property, and we’ll tell you how to prepare.
Chartered Surveyors, e.surv, are doing physical valuations on our behalf. They’ll contact customers whose survey was previously put on hold, so there’s no need to contact us.
Please be aware that inspections might take longer than normal due to surveyors needing to follow health and safety requirements, including use of PPE and cleaning equipment between appointments.
Back to topIf you've already completed an application to switch to a new deal, or have only asked to change your interest rate, you don't need to do anything. We'll continue to process your switch as usual.
If you've asked to change the term or repayment method of your current mortgage, your request will only be affected if there's been a change to your income. If that's the case, please contact us as soon as possible to let us know.
Back to topIf your situation hasn’t changed since you applied, there’s nothing to worry about.
If there's been a change to your income, please get in touch if you would like to discuss this with us.
Back to topAs long as there's no change to your income, there’s nothing to worry about. There won't be any changes to your mortgage.
If coronavirus has reduced your income, please get in touch as soon as you can to let us know.
Back to topWe've changed our rules, so our Buy-to-let customers can now ask to take a payment holiday of up to three months. It's quickest to ask for one by using our online request form. It only takes a few minutes to complete and we'll contact you to let you know our decision within 3-5 days.
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