Sometimes it's hard to get all of your bills paid in a timely fashion, and when you fall behind on your mortgage it is important to contact your mortgage lender.  Your mortgage is probably your most important bill, followed by your vehicle, utilities, food, and the rest of your debt obligations.  Getting behind on your mortgage could cause you to lose your home and leave you thousands of pounds in debt with nothing to show for it.  It is imperative that you contact your mortgage lender immediately if you get behind on your payments. 

Mortgage lenders aren't difficult to deal with.  They understand that occasionally their customers get behind with their payments and need some help getting their mortgage taken care of.  They really would prefer to help you sort out your mortgage payments and allow you to keep your home than seize it and try to sell it to get the money out of it.  With the current global economy being so bad and the housing market suffering, they would prefer to leave you in your home and work out some type of arrangement with you.   

Some of the options your mortgage lender may offer you when you talk to them about getting caught up on or simply making your mortgage payments include the following options that are based on how long you expect your financial difficulties to last:

  - Offer you reduced payments for a set period of time
  - Charge you only interest if you are in a repayment mortgage with only capital and interest payments, again, for a set period of time
  - Suspend your payments and give you a 'payment holiday'
  - Extend the term of your mortgage to reduce your payments

Your mortgage company will also offer you a way to gradually pay off what you are in arrears if they do not take the payments and add them to the end of your mortgage.  Many times you will be offered a payment plan where you pay so much extra a month with your regular mortgage payment until the arrearage is caught up.  If you cannot make the extra amount they are asking for, tell them and they will work something out with you that you can afford.  As long as you add a little bit extra to your regular payments in a good faith effort, your mortgage company will be more inclined to work with you than against you. 

There are currently two mortgage support schemes being offered by the government to help you with your mortgage payments.  The Mortgage Rescue Scheme is designed to help people with the most difficulties and dire situations and facing repossession.  The Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme is for people who are having problems paying their mortgage as a result of a temporary fall in income.  You can also see if you have mortgage protection insurance on your mortgage that will cover your payments if you have fallen behind due to illness.   

Homeowners should also look into a variety of benefits such as the Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, and Council Tax Benefits to see if they qualify.  The credits can increase a person's income and help them pay their mortgage.