Local Government
Free mortgage arrears advice
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- Category: Dudley Council
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Free mortgage arrears advice is on offer to anyone in the Dudley borough who fears they may lose their home due to property repossession and mounting debts.
The advice, which is available to anyone who lives in the borough, is the result of a service developed by the Dudley Council’s homelessness team and the Dudley District Citizens’ Advice Bureau. It is aimed at anyone who is having difficulty keeping up their monthly mortgage payments.
In the period from April to November 2009 the service received 177 referrals for borough residents in need of help because of the possibility of repossession. November was the busiest month, taking 23 per cent of the referrals.
The top three reasons, in the Dudley borough, for residents fearing repossession are redundancy (20 per cent), self employment problems (15 per cent) and unemployment (14 per cent).
Nationally, according to research by Credit Action every 11.2 minutes a property is being repossessed, with a total of 128 per day. Nationally, the CAB has dealt with 9,300 new debt problems every day.
Linda Sanders, director of adult, community & housing services, said:
“Dudley Council and the Citizens’ Advice Bureau want Dudley residents to know that they have somewhere to turn to when they are fearful of losing their home. With this in mind we have developed a service to offer help and advice about mortgage advice, which is free and totally confidential.
“Borough residents who are worried about losing their home have usually found that this service has provided them with a wealth of information which has helped them through their troublesome time.”
Anyone who wants to use this free service should telephone 01384 816499 or visit their local Citizens’ Advice Bureau. All discussions are strictly confidential.
Citizens' Advice Bureau:
49 Summer Hill, Halesowen, Dudley - 01384 816 222
15 Walsall Street, Bilston -01902 572 000
26 Snow Hill, Wolverhampton -01902 572 200
15 Walsall Street, Bilston -
26 Snow Hill, Wolverhampton -
Also there is help and information from the following:
o The national statistics were taken from Credit Action. For more information go to www.creditaction.org.uk
o Nationally, there is a free, impartial advice service available to homeowners at www.direct.gov.uk/mortgagehelp or by calling the National Debtline on 0808 808 4000
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