Falling into arrears with your mortgage payments is stressful. The stress arises from the fear of losing one’s home. The most common root cause of mortgage arrears is inability to pay caused by a reduction in income arising from loss of employment or reduced working hours or reduced pay rates. It can also be caused or aggravated by increases in mortgage interest rates and living costs. In a minority of cases, lifestyle may be a significant factor with addictions such as drink, drugs or gambling resulting in missed or late payments and ultimately mortgage arrears. Continue reading →