Homeowners, Landlords & Tenants

Mortgage payment holidays are now available for up to 3 months from most if not all lenders. You will need to contact your lender to discuss your situation and make arrangement for this.

The Government has announced that tenants cannot be evicted due to rent arrears due to/caused by the Covid-19 outbreak.

 

Anyone struggling with loan repayments

All major banks have agreed a forbearance commitment with the Government meaning that payment holidays may be available for those struggling during the Covid-19 outbreak. However, you need to contact banks directly to discuss your individual situation.

If you are struggling with credit or debt repayments you should contact your provider as it is likely most will offer some support.

 

Self-employed & Freelance workers

If you are not able to work and are unable to claim SSP then you might be able to claim employment support allowance, which pays £73 a week. Other benefits may also be available to you- you should check with HMRC directly

 

Access to fixed-term savings accounts

A large number of banks have stated that if customers are affected by Covid-19 then they will be allowed to access fixed term savings accounts with penalties for doing so being waived.

 

Insurance cover

You should check any existing insurance policies you hold for loss of earnings as these may cover your situation. If you hold travel insurance and have had to cancel travel arrangements for business or pleasure purposes due to the Covid-19 you may be able to claim depending on the travel advice and location etc. Insurance providers have stated that new insurance policies will not cover Covid-19 cancellations for existing travel plans and some annual policies exclude it completely.

 

Train season tickets

It might be that cancelling to get a partial refund less a small admin fee is of benefit to you as season tickets cannot be ‘paused’.

 

Scams

Unfortunately, it takes little or no time for fraudsters and scammers to hatch new plans to take advantage of people. It seems there are many scams currently circulating and we urge you to take extra care. Please remember that any contact offering refunds if you enter bank details are in most cases a scam. If you are receiving communications by email check the senders details as this often helps to identify fake emails. If you receive telephone calls that are suspicious the safest option is to end the call without giving any personal details and then call the organisation back on official telephone numbers to be sure who you are talking to.