City of Wolverhampton Council is set to launch a new mortgage rescue scheme in the New Year to help struggling residents remain in their homes.

The scheme will be aimed at supporting homeowners who start falling behind with their mortgage payments due to the impact of Covid-19, with the Government/Lenders’ Mortgage Payment Holiday scheme due to end on October 31, 2020.

Ahead of the launch residents seeking support should contact Wolverhampton Homes’ Housing Options team for advice and guidance by calling on 01902 556789 (option 6).

The news comes ahead of World Homeless Day on Saturday (October 10).

Cabinet Member for City Assets and Housing, Councillor Jacqueline Sweetman, said: “These are incredibly difficult times for our residents and we are supporting them in any way we can.

“The council's Rent with Confidence scheme aims at building better relationships between landlords and their tenants.

“Together, we want to improve the quality of housing in Wolverhampton and reduce homelessness.

“We also want to ensure that landlords get a return on their investment and are supported to be good, responsible landlords who stay on the right side of the law.”

People across the UK have been seriously affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Thousands of people have seen a significant change to their financial circumstances which, in some cases, has led to them falling behind on their priority bills.

City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Homes and partners across the city are asking landlords and tenants to work together during this time of uncertainty to prevent homelessness within our city.

The national ban on evictions has come to an end, but there is still a requirement on landlords to give their tenants six months' notice before an eviction can take place.

Instead of going down the route of eviction, tenants and landlords are being asked to think about:

• Could a payment arrangement be agreed?
• Could the terms of tenancy be revised to reflect the tenant's circumstances?
• Do you know your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or landlord?
• Have you thought about the costs associated with eviction?
• Where eviction is the only option, do you know who to turn to for advice and support?

If you are a landlord and you are thinking about evicting your tenant, please get in touch with Citizen's Advice to find out about other options.

If you are a tenant and have received a Section 21 Notice, or your landlord has expressed the intention to evict you, please contact Wolverhampton Homes' Housing Options team on 01902 556789, option 6. You can also contact Citizen's Advice for further guidance.