Understanding mortgage payment holidays (also known as payment deferrals)
The deadline to apply for a new payment holiday has now passed. You can extend an existing payment holiday until the 31st July 2021 as long as your request does not go over the six month limit and there are no breaks in the payment holiday.
If you are eligible to extend your current mortgage payment holiday (deferral)
If you are currently on a mortgage payment holiday and want to apply for another, you will have to wait until you have come to the end of your existing payment holiday and have received a letter from us outlining the impact it has had on your mortgage.
Once you’ve received your letter you can apply for a further payment holiday by calling us.
If you can afford to re-start your mortgage payments it’s in your best interests to do so.
You have already had a total of six months of mortgage payment holidays (deferral)
If you’ve already taken a total of six months payment holidays, we will not be able to offer you another one.
If you’re still worried about meeting your future mortgage payments please call us on the number below as soon as possible, to talk through your options.
0808 156 1158*
9am - 5pm Mon-Fri
9am - 1pm Sat
You can also see how we can help by visiting our Trouble paying your mortgage page.
If you need any support accessing our information we can provide information in other formats and through other channels.
Further help and support if you’re struggling
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The Money Advice Trust can offer guidance on dealing with day to day budgeting and advice on how to manage unsecured debts. Call them on:
0808 808 4000 - Money Advice Service Coronavirus Support page Has useful information including information around debt, recovery action plans, redundancy, bereavement and more.
Mortgage payment holiday (deferral) FAQs
Ongoing mortgage payment holidays (deferrals)
My mortgage payment holiday (deferral) is ending soon, what should I do?
If you have taken a mortgage payment holiday (deferral), we will send you a letter in the post which will describe all the options available to you.
We will send your letter a month before your payment holiday is due to end, but allowing for any postal delays, we would expect the letter to arrive 15 days before your next payment is due.
To make sure our contact centre colleagues can speak to those who need our help the most, please don’t phone us unless you have not received a letter and your payment holiday is due to end within the next two weeks.
The letter will confirm:
- Your mortgage payment holiday end date
- Your new monthly payment and how it has been calculated
- Your expected mortgage balance at the end of the payment holiday
It will outline what next steps you can take, including what to do if your employment status has changed if you think you might have difficulty making your next payment. It will also tell you what you can do if you feel a payment holiday wasn’t the best option for you and you would like to pay back the missed payments by a different means.
It’s in your best interests to start making mortgage payments again, as soon as you can afford to.
We’ve also listed all the phone numbers you’ll need to make sure you speak to the right person.
What happens about the payments I missed during the mortgage payment holiday (deferral)?
You will still owe the money where a payment holiday (deferral) was been granted and interest will still accrue, so if you are able to make part of your normal mortgage payment to reduce the money you owe or your interest charges then you should consider doing so.
At the end of the payment holiday we will recalculate your monthly payment based on your outstanding mortgage balance and remaining term. It is very likely your payments will increase, particularly if you have a shorter term left on your mortgage.
Product transfers while on mortgage payment holiday (deferral)
Can I still do a product transfer if I have an agreed payment holiday (deferral)?
Yes, providing your account wasn’t in arrears prior to the holiday (deferral) and you meet our usual criteria, we can arrange a product transfer for you.
If I take a payment holiday (deferral), will this affect future product transfers?
No, providing your account wasn’t in arrears before the holiday (deferral) and isn’t in arrears after the holiday and you meet our usual product transfer criteria, you’ll be able to go ahead with the transfer.
Furloughed income & lending policy
Furlough income
Currently, we don’t accept furlough income for mortgage applications.
Furloughed applicants must be back at work on their full salary before we can consider their income for a mortgage application.
For joint mortgage applications, where one applicant is on Furlough we will assess the affordability of the mortgage using only the salary of the applicant who is not on Furlough.
Maximum loan to value changes
We can now offer mortgages on the following:
- If you’re purchasing a new property the maximum loan-to-value (LTV) is 90%
- If you’re re-mortgaging your property the maximum LTV is 90% LTV or less
- New Build purchases up to a maximum of 85% LTV
Help & Support
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