Please
contact us immediately if you are having difficulties paying a bill.
Please also fill in, sign and return our Homeowner’s form and financial statement, which will help your Leasehold Housing Officer when drawing up a payment plan for you.
Where appropriate, we can refer you to free independent financial advice.
Benefits
If you are – or become – unemployed, you can get some extra money to help you pay your service charges.
Make sure that you include your service charges as a housing cost when you apply for benefits such as income support, council tax benefit and tax credits.
Personal loans
In some circumstances you may wish to borrow some extra money to cover major works costs by taking out an independent personal loan. This may be a secure or unsecured loan.
Before borrowing extra money, you should always ensure you can afford to make the loan repayments on top of your other outgoings.
Further advances
If you have a mortgage, your lender may agree to lend you more money to pay for major works. This is especially true for work such as renewing windows and roofs.
Equity release schemes
These allow homeowners to release cash from their homes when they no longer have a mortgage. Several high street banks and other institutions offer these schemes, especially for older people.
If you are interested, speak to an independent financial adviser or perhaps a member of your family.
Credit unions
Credit unions are financial co-operatives owned and controlled by their members. They offer savings and great value loans, plus they are local, ethical and know what their members want.
Each credit union has a ‘common bond’ which determines who can join it. The common bond may be for people living or working in the same area, people working for the same employer or people who belong to the same group, such as a church or trade union.
More information is available from the Association of British Credit Unions (external link).